a la deriva
[a la ð̞eˈɾiβ̞a]
The verdict
“a la deriva” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency Spanish
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sin rumbo o propósito previo, a merced de las eventualidades o circunstancias.
Corpus desk
Index ES-a-la-deriva · a la deriva · Spanish
a la deriva · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | a la deriva |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | [a la ð̞eˈɾiβ̞a] |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Cola larga: rango de “a la deriva” en español
Rare enough to double-check
a la deriva is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [a la ð̞eˈɾiβ̞a]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for a la deriva, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Spanish form is a la deriva, spelled A- -L-A- -D-E-R-I-V-A.
Definition
- 1Sin rumbo o propósito previo, a merced de las eventualidades o circunstancias.
- 2Flotando o navegando a merced de la corriente, el oleaje o los elementos meteorológicos.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how a la deriva appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Un barco de pesca japonés arrastrado por el ‘tsunami’ de marzo de 2011 fue visto flotando a la deriva cerca de la costa oeste de Canadá, según informó este sábado Marc Proulx, coordinador marítimo del Centro de Rescate Conjunto de Victoria, en la Columbia Británica".
A la mañana siguiente encuentran su chaqueta de brin sobre una balsa que flota a la deriva del estanque".
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.