Which to use
“sta” is an adjective and “sur” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,015
- “sta” frequency rank
- #517
- “sur” frequency rank
- 14532
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sta | sur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de sto: «esta». | Punto cardinal del horizonte, exactamente donde se encuentra el Sol a mediodía (en el hemisferio norte), marcado a 180° con respecto al Norte en una brújula. Convencionalmente se ubica en la parte inferior de los mapas,. |
Where the eye mixes sta and sur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sta vs sur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sta is /ˈsta/ while sur is [ˈsuɾ]. 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 14532, 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/. sur is at rank #517, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsuɾ].
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 14532, this pair ranks #283,751 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sta vs sur
Shared letters: s. Private to "sta": at. Private to "sur": ru.
"sta" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "sur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sta" and "sur" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sta" or "sur" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #283,751 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sta" and "sur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sta vs stem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #283,751 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.