Guatemala

/ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə/

//ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"guatemala" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Guatemala” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,614. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,614
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A country in northern Central America. Official name: Republic of Guatemala. Capital: Guatemala City.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Guatemala vs Guatemalan
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Guatemala
PropertyValue
HeadwordGuatemala
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,614
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Guatemala” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Guatemala lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Guatemala (IPA /ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #12,614 among 18,276 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Guatemala, with forms such as "gautemala", "gguatemala", and "guaetmala". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Guatemalan", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish Guatemala (originally the name of Iximche, the location of Guatemala's first capital), from Classical Nahuatl Cuauhtēmallān, from cuauhtēmalli (“woodpile”) + -tlān (“place”). The correct English form is Guatemala, spelled G-U-A-T-E-M-A-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A country in northern Central America. Official name: Republic of Guatemala. Capital: Guatemala City.
  2. 2
    A department of Guatemala.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish Guatemala (originally the name of Iximche, the location of Guatemala's first capital), from Classical Nahuatl Cuauhtēmallān, from cuauhtēmalli (“woodpile”) + -tlān (“place”).

This word in other languages

Guatemala(Español)Guatemala(Français)Guatemala(Deutsch)Guatemala(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gautemala
  • gguatemala
  • guaetmala
  • guateamla
  • guatemaal
  • guatemalla
  • guatemlaa
  • guatemmala
  • guatmeala
  • guattemala
  • gutaemala
  • ugatemala

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Guatemala - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

gautemala2gguatemala1guaetmala2guateamla2guatemaal2guatemalla1guatemlaa2guatemmala1
Edit distance from "Guatemala"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Guatemala"?
"Guatemala" is spelled G-U-A-T-E-M-A-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə/.
What does "Guatemala" mean?
As a proper noun, "Guatemala" means: A country in northern Central America. Official name: Republic of Guatemala. Capital: Guatemala City.
What words are commonly confused with "Guatemala"?
"Guatemala" is commonly confused with "Guatemalan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Guatemala"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Guatemala" is /ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə/. 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 "Guatemala"?
Borrowed from Spanish Guatemala (originally the name of Iximche, the location of Guatemala's first capital), from Classical Nahuatl Cuauhtēmallān, from cuauhtēmalli (“woodpile”) + -tlān (“place”). 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 “Guatemala”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-U-A-T-E-M-A-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɡwɑː.təˈmɑː.lə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Guatemalan” - see the side-by-side comparison. Guatemala vs Guatemalan
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list