arrear

[areˈaɾ]

/[areˈaɾ]/ verb

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

The verdict

“arrear” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #89,566 among 7,704 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,566
frequency rank, Spanish
7,704
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Conducir el vaquero las reses, normalmente usando gritos característicos que el ganado reconoce y obedece.

Corpus desk

Index ES-arrear · arrear · Spanish

arrear · rank #89,566 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,566
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 7,704
  • PHOTO-FINISH arrepintieron

Nearest frequency peer: arrepintieron (+2 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.

Rangos de cola larga cerca de “arrear”

Banda escasa: las barras invierten el rango para que lo raro se lea más corto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista de cola larga: dónde “arrear” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for arrear
PropertyValue
Headwordarrear
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[areˈaɾ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#89,566
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “arrear” en español

La frecuencia va del puñado de palabras que usamos sin parar (izquierda) a la cola larga que apenas aparece (derecha).arrearcae en esta cola de rareza:

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

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “arrepintieron” (#89,568), “arroceros” (#89,569), “Armijo” (#89,562). Entre 7,704 lemas con “A”, “arrear” va en #89,566. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

arrear is uncommon Spanish at frequency #89,566 among 7,704 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [areˈaɾ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for arrear in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is arrear, spelled A-R-R-E-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Conducir el vaquero las reses, normalmente usando gritos característicos que el ganado reconoce y obedece.
  2. 2
    Apresurar al ganado, animales de tiro, carga o cabalgaduras, para que avancen más rápido, o instarlos a que empiecen a moverse, si están parados.
  3. 3
    (En sentido figurado) Influir suficientemente a otros para que actuen según los planes de uno, evidenciándose la docilidad de los que así son mandados.
  4. 4
    Propinar un golpe o, hacer algo brusca o inesperadamente.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how arrear appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Al alejarse de allí tornó a murmurar algo al oído del mono, y éste, ligero como el pensamiento, arreó el ganado como si fuera un muchacho entendido.
  2. Cuando escampó, siguió adelante, y al cruzar el puente, que antes era de madera, se quedó quieta oyendo un ruido de algo que se acercaba retumbando. Pensó que era otra tormenta y arreó a la burra". (Emilio Gavilanes. El bosque perdido).

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 "arrear"?
"arrear" is spelled A-R-R-E-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is [areˈaɾ].
What does "arrear" mean?
As a verb, "arrear" means: Conducir el vaquero las reses, normalmente usando gritos característicos que el ganado reconoce y obedece.
How do you pronounce "arrear"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arrear" is [areˈaɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "arrear" come from?
"arrear" 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Armijo#89,562artesa#89,572auguro#89,580Ayerbe#89,585

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list