sombrero

/səmˈbɹɛɹ.əʊ/

//səmˈbɹɛɹ.əʊ// noun

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

"sombrero" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sombrero” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,060. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,060
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind of hat with a high conical or cylindrical crown and a saucer-shaped brim, highly embroidered, made of plush felt.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sombrero · sombrero · English

sombrero · rank #49,060 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,060
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH solute

Nearest frequency peer: solute (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “sombrero”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “sombrero” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sombrero vs somber
75% similar
sombrero vs sombre
75% similar

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

Key facts for sombrero
PropertyValue
Headwordsombrero
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səmˈbɹɛɹ.əʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#49,060
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sombrero”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sombrerolands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “solute” (#49,059), “Socratic” (#49,058), “soca” (#49,057). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sombrero” is #49,060. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sombrero (IPA /səmˈbɹɛɹ.əʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,060 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sombrero, with forms such as "osmbrero", "smobrero", and "sobmrero". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "somber", "sombre", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish sombrero (“hat”), from sombra (“shadow, shade”) + -ero, literally, "shade-maker". The drink was named after the hat. The correct English form is sombrero, spelled S-O-M-B-R-E-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of hat with a high conical or cylindrical crown and a saucer-shaped brim, highly embroidered, made of plush felt.
  2. 2
    A mixed drink with coffee liqueur and cream.
  3. 3
    A series of four consecutive strikes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sombrero appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Beatrice looked up and saw a man standing before her; the huge sombrero overshadowed his face, but the light of the lamp shone on a large and glittering knife in his girdle.
  2. `Hey listen Pancho, take your hands off me or I'll stick your sombrero up your Khyber.'

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish sombrero (“hat”), from sombra (“shadow, shade”) + -ero, literally, "shade-maker". The drink was named after the hat.

This word in other languages

sombréro(Français)Sombrero(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osmbrero
  • smobrero
  • sobmrero
  • sombbrero
  • somberro
  • sombreor
  • sombrerro
  • sombrreo
  • sombrrero
  • sommbrero
  • somrbero
  • ssombrero

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sombrero - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

osmbrero2smobrero2sobmrero2sombbrero1somberro2sombreor2sombrerro1sombrreo2
Edit distance from "sombrero"

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 "sombrero"?
"sombrero" is spelled S-O-M-B-R-E-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is /səmˈbɹɛɹ.əʊ/.
What does "sombrero" mean?
As a noun, "sombrero" means: A kind of hat with a high conical or cylindrical crown and a saucer-shaped brim, highly embroidered, made of plush felt.
What words are commonly confused with "sombrero"?
"sombrero" is commonly confused with "somber", "sombre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sombrero"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sombrero" is /səmˈbɹɛɹ.əʊ/. 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 "sombrero"?
Borrowed from Spanish sombrero (“hat”), from sombra (“shadow, shade”) + -ero, literally, "shade-maker". The drink was named after the hat. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sombrero", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Socratic#49,058southpaw#49,064Stansted#49,069statuary#49,072

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

starchy12 variantssubreddit12 variantssymbiote12 variantsRiesling12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list