ají

[aˈxi]

/[aˈxi]/ noun

The verdict

“ají” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #29,912) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#29,912
frequency rank, Spanish
7,704
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fruto comestible de diversas especies del género Capsicum, usualmente picante, que se emplea como condimento.

Corpus desk

Index ES-aji · ají · Spanish

ají · rank #29,912 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,912
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 7,704
  • PHOTO-FINISH Aguado

Nearest frequency peer: Aguado (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ají”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ají” sits against the nearest ranked Spanish headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

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)

Dónde se sitúa “ají” en la frecuencia del español

De izquierda a derecha: las pocas palabras que cargan el habla diaria, luego la cola larga casi invisible.ajícae aquí:

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

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). En la misma franja de rareza aparecen “Aguado” (#29,911), “Alcorcón” (#29,913), “afroamericanos” (#29,910). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ají is neighbouring look-alikes ("al", "ay", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced [aˈxi]. Frequency #29,912 among 7,704 “A” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

ají has no tracked misspelling variants, 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.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is ají, spelled A-J-Í.

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.

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. 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

What to do next

You've looked up "ají". Here's where to go from here.

  • "ají" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "al". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #29,912 among Spanish headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Spanish words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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