starsvsstatesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,194
“stars” frequency rank
#24,316
“states” frequency rank
46510
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stars states
Definition Forma del plural de star. Forma del plural de state.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stars and states apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
stars
6 ch
states

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stars (/stɑːz/) and states (/steɪts/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stars is recorded at frequency rank #22,194, classified as anoun, pronounced /stɑːz/. states is at rank #24,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced /steɪts/.

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 46510, this pair ranks #125,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stars vs states

Shared letters: ast. Private to "stars": r. Private to "states": e.

"stars" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "states" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • starssatrs · sstars · starrs · starss · stasr · stras · sttars · tsars
  • statessattes · sstates · staets · statess · statse · stattes · sttaes · sttates

Frequency comparison

stars#22,194
states#24,316

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stars" and "states" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/stɑːz/ versus /steɪts/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stars" or "states"?
"stars" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,194 in our Spanish list, against #24,316 for "states". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stars vs states

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stars” 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