cenote

/sɛˈnoʊteɪ/

//sɛˈnoʊteɪ// noun

"cenote" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cenote” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Mexico and Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans ...

Key facts for cenote
PropertyValue
Headwordcenote
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɛˈnoʊteɪ/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cenote” sits in English frequency

cenote falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cenote is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Mexico and Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans ...".

No generated misspelling entries exist for cenote in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish cenote, from Yucatec Maya tsʼonoʼot (“hole with water”). The correct English form is cenote, spelled C-E-N-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Mexico and Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans for sacrificial offerings.

Etymology

From Spanish cenote, from Yucatec Maya tsʼonoʼot (“hole with water”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cenote"?
"cenote" is spelled C-E-N-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/.
What does "cenote" mean?
As a noun, "cenote" means: A deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Mexico and Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes groundwater underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans ...
How do you pronounce "cenote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cenote" is /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cenote"?
From Spanish cenote, from Yucatec Maya tsʼonoʼot (“hole with water”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “cenote”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-E-N-O-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɛˈnoʊteɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list