Which to use
“estén” and “estés” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,448
- “estén” frequency rank
- #2,660
- “estés” frequency rank
- 4108
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estén | estés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de estar o de estarse. | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del presente de subjuntivo de estar. |
Where the eye mixes estén and estés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. estén and estés follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between estén and estés
A purely visual mix-up. estén ([esˈt̪ẽn]) 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 - n in “estén” becomes s in “estés”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4108, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estén is recorded at frequency rank #1,448, classified as averb, pronounced [esˈt̪ẽn]. 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 4108, this pair ranks #316,869 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of estén vs estés
Shared letters: esté. Private to "estén": n. Private to "estés": -.
"estén" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "estés" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "estén" and "estés" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "estén" or "estés" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "estén" 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 #316,869 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estén" and "estés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "esteros vs estés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #316,869 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.