Which to use
“então” is an adverb and “estar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #120
- “então” frequency rank
- #186
- “estar” frequency rank
- 306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | então | estar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | naquele momento | associa uma característica (momentânea, não permanente) a um ser |
Letter map: então vs estar
Shared letters muted; letters that set então and estar apart highlighted. Shared run: 2. então (VCCVV) and estar (VCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Grammar separator: então vs estar
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: então is anadverb and estaraverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
então is recorded at frequency rank #120, classified as anadv, pronounced /ẽ.ˈtɐ̃w̃/. estar is at rank #186, tagged as averb.
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 306, this pair ranks #75,332 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of então vs estar
Shared letters: et. Private to "então": noã. Private to "estar": ars.
"então" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "estar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- estar ← esatr · esstar · estarr · estra · esttar · etsar · setar
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "então" and "estar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "então" or "estar"?
What to do next
You've compared "então" and "estar". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "então" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,332 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "então" and "estar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "escoar vs estar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #75,332 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.