Which to use
“espia” is a noun and “está” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,012
- “espia” frequency rank
- #45
- “está” frequency rank
- 41057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espia | está |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa que observa escondida | terceira pessoa do verbo estar no presente do indicativo; indica condição temporária |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set espia and está apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: espia is anoun and estáaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41057, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espia is recorded at frequency rank #41,012, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpi.ɐ/. está is at rank #45, 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 41057, this pair ranks #24,951 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of espia vs está
Shared letters: es. Private to "espia": aip. Private to "está": tá.
"espia" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "está" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- espia ← epsia · esipa · espai · esppia · esspia · sepia
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "espia" and "está" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "espia" or "está"?
Remembering espia vs está
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “espia”; for a verb, it's “está”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “espia” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable