quesadilla

/ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə/

//ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə// noun

"quesadilla" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“quesadilla” is uncommon English (frequency #64,644 among 2,880 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,644
frequency rank, English
2,880
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Mexican dish made by filling a tortilla with cheese and sometimes other ingredients and then cooking it until the cheese is melted.

Key facts for quesadilla
PropertyValue
Headwordquesadilla
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#64,644
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quesadilla” 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). quesadilla lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

quesadilla is uncommon English at frequency #64,644 among 2,880 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

quesadilla doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish quesadilla. [Alt: Slices of a quesadilla piled on top of one another] The correct English form is quesadilla, spelled Q-U-E-S-A-D-I-L-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Mexican dish made by filling a tortilla with cheese and sometimes other ingredients and then cooking it until the cheese is melted.
  2. 2
    A Salvadoran pan dulce made with rice flour and queso duro blanco and topped with sesame seeds.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish quesadilla. [Alt: Slices of a quesadilla piled on top of one another]

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); 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 "quesadilla"?
"quesadilla" is spelled Q-U-E-S-A-D-I-L-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə/.
What does "quesadilla" mean?
As a noun, "quesadilla" means: A Mexican dish made by filling a tortilla with cheese and sometimes other ingredients and then cooking it until the cheese is melted.
How do you pronounce "quesadilla"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quesadilla" is /ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə/. 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 "quesadilla"?
Borrowed from Spanish quesadilla. [Alt: Slices of a quesadilla piled on top of one another] 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 “quesadilla”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is Q-U-E-S-A-D-I-L-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌkeɪ̯səˈdiː(l)jə/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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