estéisvsestérilWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: estéis is a verb, estéril is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“estéis” is a verb and “estéril” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,645
“estéis” frequency rank
#20,358
“estéril” frequency rank
50003
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estéis estéril
Definition Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de estar o de estarse. Dicho de un ser vivo, incapaz de engendrar descendencia.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set estéis and estéril apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
estéis
7 ch
estéril

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: estéis is [esˈt̪ejs] while estéril is [esˈt̪eɾil]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50003, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estéis is recorded at frequency rank #29,645, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ejs]. estéril is at rank #20,358, tagged as anadj, pronounced [esˈt̪eɾil].

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 50003, this pair ranks #105,640 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of estéis vs estéril

Shared letters: eisté. Private to "estéis": -. Private to "estéril": lr.

"estéis" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "estéril" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

estéis#29,645
estéril#20,358

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "estéis" and "estéril" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "estéis" is a verb and "estéril" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "estéis" or "estéril"?
"estéril" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,358 in our Spanish list, against #29,645 for "estéis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering estéis vs estéril

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “estéis”; for an adjective, it's “estéril”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “estéis” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list