apnea

[apˈnea]

/[apˈnea]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“apnea” is an uncommon Spanish word, ranked #52,685 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#52,685
frequency rank, Spanish
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Interrupción momentánea de la respiración.

Key facts for apnea
PropertyValue
Headwordapnea
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[apˈnea]
Letters5
Frequency rank#52,685
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “apnea” 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). apnea 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 apnea is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [apˈnea]. Corpus data places it at rank #52,685 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for apnea in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is apnea, spelled A-P-N-E-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Interrupción momentánea de la respiración.
  2. 2
    Prueba deportiva de natación o buceo sin respirar.^([cita requerida])

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 "apnea"?
"apnea" is spelled A-P-N-E-A. The IPA pronunciation is [apˈnea].
What does "apnea" mean?
As a noun, "apnea" means: Interrupción momentánea de la respiración.
How do you pronounce "apnea"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apnea" is [apˈnea]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "apnea" come from?
"apnea" 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 “apnea”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is A-P-N-E-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [apˈnea] (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