estásvsestésWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“estás” and “estés” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#401
“estás” frequency rank
#2,660
“estés” frequency rank
3061
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estás estés
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de indicativo de estar o de estarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de subjuntivo de estar.

Where the eye mixes estás and estés

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
estás
5 ch
estés

Look-alike desk: estás vs estés

A purely visual mix-up. estás ([esˈt̪as]) and estés ([esˈt̪es]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - á in “estás” becomes é in “estés”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3061, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estás is recorded at frequency rank #401, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪as]. estés is at rank #2,660, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪es].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 3061, this pair ranks #319,106 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of estás vs estés

Shared letters: est. Private to "estás": á. Private to "estés": é.

"estás" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "estés" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "estás" and "estés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([esˈt̪as] versus [esˈt̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "estás" vs "estés" - which ranks higher?
"estás" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #401 in our Spanish list, against #2,660 for "estés". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "estás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #319,106 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "estás" and "estés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "esteros vs estés". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #319,106 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list