al pie de la letra
[al ˈpje ð̞e la ˈlet̪ɾa]
The verdict
“al pie de la letra” is outside the top-ranked Spanish vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency Spanish
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Siguiendo escrupulosamente las instrucciones.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | al pie de la letra |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | [al ˈpje ð̞e la ˈlet̪ɾa] |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “al pie de la letra” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for al pie de la letra is 18 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [al ˈpje ð̞e la ˈlet̪ɾa]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for al pie de la letra in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Spanish rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is al pie de la letra, spelled A-L- -P-I-E- -D-E- -L-A- -L-E-T-R-A.
Definition
- 1Siguiendo escrupulosamente las instrucciones.
- 2En forma o sentido literal.
- 3De manera estricta, sin alternativas ni variantes.
Synonyms
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
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Using “al pie de la letra”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is A-L- -P-I-E- -D-E- -L-A- -L-E-T-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [al ˈpje ð̞e la ˈlet̪ɾa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
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.