ají

[aˈxi]

/[aˈxi]/ noun

The verdict

“ají” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #29,912 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#29,912
frequency rank, Spanish
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fruto comestible de diversas especies del género Capsicum, usualmente picante, que se emplea como condimento.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ají vs al
33% similar
ají vs ay
33% similar
ají vs as
33% similar

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

Key facts for ají
PropertyValue
Headwordají
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[aˈxi]
Letters3
Frequency rank#29,912
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ají” sits in Spanish 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). ají lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for ají is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [aˈxi]. Corpus data places it at rank #29,912 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for ají in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Spanish patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "al", "ay", "as", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct Spanish form is ají, spelled A-J-Í, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fruto comestible de diversas especies del género Capsicum, usualmente picante, que se emplea como condimento.
  2. 2
    (Capsicum) Arbustos de la familia de las solanáceas, cultivados en todo el mundo por sus frutos, usualmente de sabor picante.
  3. 3
    Salsa picante preparada con ají₁ molido y otros aliños.

Synonyms

chilepimientoají en vainachilepimientoají en pasta

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “ají, Spanish word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/es/palabra/aji

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ají"?
"ají" is spelled A-J-Í. The IPA pronunciation is [aˈxi].
What does "ají" mean?
As a noun, "ají" means: Fruto comestible de diversas especies del género Capsicum, usualmente picante, que se emplea como condimento.
What words are commonly confused with "ají"?
"ají" is commonly confused with "al", "ay", "as". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ají"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ají" is [aˈxi]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ají" come from?
"ají" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “ají”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is A-J-Í - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [aˈxi] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “al” - see the side-by-side comparison. ají vs al
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Nearby Spanish words

Other entries that begin with the letter A in our Spanish index:

Explore PlainSpell

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