# Arizona

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˌæɹɪˈzoʊnə/ · frequency rank #3,738

## Definitions
1. A state in the southwestern United States, established 1912. Capital: Phoenix.
2. Ellipsis of University of Arizona.
3. A territory of the southwest Confederate (1862–1865) and United States of America (1863–1912), with its capitals at Tucson, Prescott, and Phoenix.
4. A department of the northwest Second Mexican Empire (1863–1865), with its capital at Altar.
5. A unisex given name.
6. Arizona Beverage Company, which sells its products under the name AriZona.
7. Several places named for the state or territory.
8. Several places named for the state or territory.
9. Several places named for the state or territory.
10. Several places named for the state or territory.
11. Several places named for the state or territory.
12. Several places named for the state or territory.
13. A surname.

## Etymology
Uncertain. Possibly from O'odham alĭ ṣonak (literally “small spring”) (traditionally through the Spanish intermediary form Arizonac; compare modern Arizona), a name initially applied to an area around a silver-mining camp in Sonora.
Alternatively, perhaps from Basque haritz ona (literally “good oak”), as the area had many Basque herders, and a descendant of them established the ranchería of Arizona (circa 1735) in Sonora.
Suggestions of derivation from *arizuma, supposedly a Nahuatl word meaning “silver-bearing”, are considered implausible, and derivation from árida zona (literally “dry zone”) is considered a folk etymology.

## Easily confused with
- **Ariana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ariana-vs-arizona)
- **Arianna** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arianna-vs-arizona)

## Common misspellings (9)
`airzona`, `ariozna`, `ariznoa`, `arizoan`, `arizonna`, `arizzona`, `arrizona`, `arziona`, `raizona`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/arizona