b

[ˈbe]

/[ˈbe]/ character

The verdict

“b” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #602) as a character. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#602
frequency rank, Spanish
2,459
“B” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Segunda letra del abecedario español y primera consonante. Su nombre es be, be alta o be larga.

Corpus desk

Index ES-b · b · Spanish

b · rank #602 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #602
  • LEN-SHORT 1 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,459
  • PHOTO-FINISH cargo

Nearest frequency peer: cargo (+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 “b”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “b” 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).

b vs by
50% similar
b vs be
50% similar
b vs bo
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for b
PropertyValue
Headwordb
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechCharacter
IPA[ˈbe]
Letters1
Frequency rank#602
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Dónde se sitúa “b” en la frecuencia del español

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

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

Los ticks avanzan en logaritmo; cada uno es del orden de diez veces más raro. En la misma franja de rareza aparecen “cargo” (#603), “agosto” (#600), “comida” (#604). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for b is neighbouring look-alikes ("by", "be", …), not just typos; it is acharacter pronounced [ˈbe]. Frequency #602 among 2,459 “B” headwords. Gloss: "Segunda letra del abecedario español y primera consonante. Su nombre es be, be alta o be larga.".

No misspelling variants are generated for b in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "be", "bo", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented 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 b, spelled B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Segunda letra del abecedario español y primera consonante. Su nombre es be, be alta o be larga.

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 "b"?
"b" is spelled B. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈbe].
What does "b" mean?
As a character, "b" means: Segunda letra del abecedario español y primera consonante. Su nombre es be, be alta o be larga.
What words are commonly confused with "b"?
"b" is commonly confused with "by", "be", "bo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "b"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "b" is [ˈbe]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "b" come from?
"b" 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.

What to do next

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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