acerbo

[aˈseɾβ̞o]

/[aˈseɾβ̞o]/ adj

The verdict

“acerbo” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Áspero al gusto.

Corpus desk

Index ES-acerbo · acerbo · Spanish

acerbo · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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.

Key facts for acerbo
PropertyValue
Headwordacerbo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[aˈseɾβ̞o]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “acerbo” en español

acerboestá más allá de las 100.000 formas más frecuentes del español, en la cola de léxico especializado o poco usado donde la duda ortográfica aprieta.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

acerbo is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [aˈseɾβ̞o]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for acerbo in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No explicit etymology string is stored 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 acerbo, spelled A-C-E-R-B-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Áspero al gusto.
  2. 2
    Cruel, riguroso, desapacible.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Frutos acerbos, como el limón, son preferidos en menor frecuencia por el público.
  2. No he visto hoy por primera vez, sino también en muchas ocasiones, cuán irremediable mal es la acerba cólera.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "acerbo"?
"acerbo" is spelled A-C-E-R-B-O. The IPA pronunciation is [aˈseɾβ̞o].
What does "acerbo" mean?
As an adjective, "acerbo" means: Áspero al gusto.
How do you pronounce "acerbo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acerbo" is [aˈseɾβ̞o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "acerbo" come from?
"acerbo" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list