queso

/ˈkeɪsoʊ/

//ˈkeɪsoʊ// noun

"queso" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“queso” is uncommon English (frequency #51,339 among 2,880 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,339
frequency rank, English
2,880
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ellipsis of chile con queso: melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.

Key facts for queso
PropertyValue
Headwordqueso
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkeɪsoʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#51,339
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “queso” 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). queso 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

queso is uncommon English at frequency #51,339 among 2,880 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkeɪsoʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Ellipsis of chile con queso: melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for queso in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish queso, as found in Tex-Mex cuisine. Doublet of cheese. The correct English form is queso, spelled Q-U-E-S-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ellipsis of chile con queso: melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish queso, as found in Tex-Mex cuisine. Doublet of cheese.

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 "queso"?
"queso" is spelled Q-U-E-S-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkeɪsoʊ/.
What does "queso" mean?
As a noun, "queso" means: Ellipsis of chile con queso: melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.
How do you pronounce "queso"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "queso" is /ˈkeɪsoʊ/. 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 "queso"?
Borrowed from Spanish queso, as found in Tex-Mex cuisine. Doublet of cheese. 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 “queso”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is Q-U-E-S-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkeɪsoʊ/ (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