ciempiés

[sjẽmˈpjes]

/[sjẽmˈpjes]/ noun

The verdict

“ciempiés” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #65,966 among 77,812 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,966
frequency rank, Spanish
77,812
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (clase Chilopoda) Cualquiera de unas 8000 especies de artrópodos miriápodos, de cuerpo elongado y segmentado en no menos de 15 metámeros, cada uno de ellos dotados de un par de patas, cabeza aplana...

Corpus desk

Index ES-ciempies · ciempiés · Spanish

ciempiés · rank #65,966 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,966
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 77,812
  • PHOTO-FINISH cimentar

Nearest frequency peer: cimentar (+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 “ciempiés”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ciempiés” 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 May 6, 2026
Key facts for ciempiés
PropertyValue
Headwordciempiés
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[sjẽmˈpjes]
Letters8
Frequency rank#65,966
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ciempiés” 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). ciempiés lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

ciempiés is uncommon Spanish at frequency #65,966 among 77,812 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [sjẽmˈpjes]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ciempiés, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Spanish patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is ciempiés, spelled C-I-E-M-P-I-É-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    (clase Chilopoda) Cualquiera de unas 8000 especies de artrópodos miriápodos, de cuerpo elongado y segmentado en no menos de 15 metámeros, cada uno de ellos dotados de un par de patas, cabeza aplanada dotada de antenas, mandíbulas alargadas y maxilípedos rematados en fuertes garras capaces de inyectar veneno. Son predadores nocturnos de distribución cosmopolita.
  2. 2
    Escrito o pensamiento confuso y desorganizado.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Eliano, como curioso arrebañador desto, escribe que las moscas echaron de sus casas a los megarenses y las avispas a los faselitas, y los gusanos ciempiés, llamados escolopendras, a los recienses y a los risienses.
  2. Por mi parte ya me había acostumbrado a que me pasaran cosas modestamente excepcionales, y no encontraba demasiado horrible que al entrar en un cuarto a oscuras para recoger un álbum de discos, sintiera bullir en la palma de la mano el cuerpo vivo de un ciempiés gigante que había elegido dormir en el lomo del álbum.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ciempiés"?
"ciempiés" is spelled C-I-E-M-P-I-É-S. The IPA pronunciation is [sjẽmˈpjes].
What does "ciempiés" mean?
As a noun, "ciempiés" means: (clase Chilopoda) Cualquiera de unas 8000 especies de artrópodos miriápodos, de cuerpo elongado y segmentado en no menos de 15 metámeros, cada uno de ellos dotados de un par de patas, cabeza aplana...
How do you pronounce "ciempiés"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ciempiés" is [sjẽmˈpjes]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ciempiés" come from?
"ciempiés" 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 "ciempiés", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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