alter ego

[al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o]

/[al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o]/ phrase

The verdict

“alter ego” 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
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Trastorno de identidad disociativo, referido a quien lleva doble vida. Es un segundo yo, a quien se atribuye personalidad distinta de la normal u original. Se trata de una persona real o imaginaria...

Key facts for alter ego
PropertyValue
Headwordalter ego
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alter ego” sits in Spanish frequency

alter ego falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Spanish words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for alter ego is 9 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for alter ego, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Spanish form is alter ego, spelled A-L-T-E-R- -E-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Trastorno de identidad disociativo, referido a quien lleva doble vida. Es un segundo yo, a quien se atribuye personalidad distinta de la normal u original. Se trata de una persona real o imaginaria, a quien admira y desearía ser como ella el individuo.
  2. 2
    Persona en quien se deposita confianza total, por lo que se le faculta incondicionalmente para que, en su representación, tome decisiones o ejecute determinadas acciones.

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 "alter ego"?
"alter ego" is spelled A-L-T-E-R- -E-G-O. The IPA pronunciation is [al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o].
What does "alter ego" mean?
As a phrase, "alter ego" means: Trastorno de identidad disociativo, referido a quien lleva doble vida. Es un segundo yo, a quien se atribuye personalidad distinta de la normal u original. Se trata de una persona real o imaginaria...
How do you pronounce "alter ego"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alter ego" is [al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "alter ego" come from?
"alter ego" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “alter ego”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is A-L-T-E-R- -E-G-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [al̪ˈt̪eɾ ˈeɣ̞o] (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list