ballena

[baˈʝena]

/[baˈʝena]/ noun

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

The verdict

“ballena” has 9 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #14,524. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,524
frequency rank, Spanish
24,339
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Cualquiera de muchos mamíferos de gran tamaño, adaptados por completo al medio acuático hasta haber perdido la facultad de locomoción en tierra.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ballena vs ballet
71% similar
ballena vs belleza
71% similar
ballena vs ballenas
88% similar

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

Key facts for ballena
PropertyValue
Headwordballena
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[baˈʝena]
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,524
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ballena” 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). ballena lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around ballena (IPA [baˈʝena]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,524 among 24,339 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ballena, with forms such as "abllena", "balelna", and "balena". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "ballet", "belleza", "ballenas", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Spanish form is ballena, spelled B-A-L-L-E-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cualquiera de muchos mamíferos de gran tamaño, adaptados por completo al medio acuático hasta haber perdido la facultad de locomoción en tierra.
  2. 2
    En particular, aquellas ballenas₁ que en lugar de dientes poseen unas largas varillas de material óseo con las que filtran del agua los animales microscópicos que les sirven de alimento.
  3. 3
    Cada una de estas varillas, antiguamente usadas para confeccionar numerosos utensilios por su dureza y flexibilidad
  4. 4
    Vara de este o cualquier otro material que se emplea para dar rigidez a una prenda de ropa, como el cuello de una camisa o un corset

Synonyms

cetáceo

This word in other languages

whale(English)baleine(Français)Wal(Deutsch)baleia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abllena,balelna,balena,ballean,ballenna,ballnea,bballena,blalena,vallena

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ballena - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abllena2balelna2balena1ballean2ballenna1ballnea2bballena1blalena2
Edit distance from "ballena"

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 "ballena"?
"ballena" is spelled B-A-L-L-E-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is [baˈʝena].
What does "ballena" mean?
As a noun, "ballena" means: Cualquiera de muchos mamíferos de gran tamaño, adaptados por completo al medio acuático hasta haber perdido la facultad de locomoción en tierra.
What words are commonly confused with "ballena"?
"ballena" is commonly confused with "ballet", "belleza", "ballenas". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ballena"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ballena" is [baˈʝena]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ballena" come from?
"ballena" 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 “ballena”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is B-A-L-L-E-N-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [baˈʝena] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ballet” - see the side-by-side comparison. ballena vs ballet
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Same frequency band

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