cercar

[seɾˈkaɾ]

/[seɾˈkaɾ]/ verb

The verdict

“cercar” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #57,614 among 8,288 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,614
frequency rank, Spanish
8,288
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rodear un lugar con una valla, un seto, una alambrada, una muralla, un cerco, una cerca o con cualquier obstáculo que impida el paso y lo proteja de los extraños.

Corpus desk

Index ES-cercar · cercar · Spanish

cercar · rank #57,614 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,614
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,288
  • PHOTO-FINISH centroizquier…

Nearest frequency peer: centroizquierda (-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.

Rangos de cola larga cerca de “cercar”

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 “cercar” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cercar
PropertyValue
Headwordcercar
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[seɾˈkaɾ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,614
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “cercar” en español

Esta escala corre desde el núcleo del español cotidiano (izquierda) hasta el rastro de formas rara vez usadas (derecha).cercarcae en esta cola de rareza:

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

Los ticks avanzan en logaritmo; cada uno es del orden de diez veces más raro. Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “centroizquierda” (#57,613), “certeros” (#57,615), “cementera” (#57,611). Entre 8,288 lemas con “C”, “cercar” va en #57,614. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cercar is uncommon Spanish at frequency #57,614 among 8,288 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [seɾˈkaɾ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cercar, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Spanish patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is cercar, spelled C-E-R-C-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rodear un lugar con una valla, un seto, una alambrada, una muralla, un cerco, una cerca o con cualquier obstáculo que impida el paso y lo proteja de los extraños.
  2. 2
    Rodear una plaza fuerte del enemigo y asediarlo.
  3. 3
    Rodear una muchedumbre a una persona, cosa o lugar.
  4. 4
    Rodear.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A ratos el viento cercaba la casa, se metía por rendijas de las puertas y de las ventanas.
  2. La población estaba cercada de granito, como sumida en un pozo de la alta cordillera, aislada hasta del viento.

Synonyms

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 "cercar"?
"cercar" is spelled C-E-R-C-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is [seɾˈkaɾ].
What does "cercar" mean?
As a verb, "cercar" means: Rodear un lugar con una valla, un seto, una alambrada, una muralla, un cerco, una cerca o con cualquier obstáculo que impida el paso y lo proteja de los extraños.
How do you pronounce "cercar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cercar" is [seɾˈkaɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cercar" come from?
"cercar" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "cercar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list