Which to use
“sta” is an adjective and “sum” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,015
- “sta” frequency rank
- #27,789
- “sum” frequency rank
- 41804
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sta | sum |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de sto: «esta». | Suma, adición. |
Where the eye mixes sta and sum
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between sta and sum
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sta is /ˈsta/ while sum is [sʌm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41804, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sta is recorded at frequency rank #14,015, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈsta/. sum is at rank #27,789, tagged as anoun, pronounced [sʌm].
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 41804, this pair ranks #151,692 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sta vs sum
Shared letters: s. Private to "sta": at. Private to "sum": mu.
"sta" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "sum" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sta" and "sum" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sta" or "sum"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "sta" and "sum" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #151,692 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sta" and "sum" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stem vs sum". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #151,692 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.