cigüeña

[siˈɣ̞weɲa]

/[siˈɣ̞weɲa]/ noun

The verdict

“cigüeña” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #34,495 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,495
frequency rank, Spanish
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Familia Ciconiidae) Cualquiera de unas veinte especies de aves zancudas, de gran tamaño, que habitan la mayoría de las zonas templadas y cálidas del globo. Son aves de cuello y patas largas, con e...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cigüeña vs ciruela
57% similar
cigüeña vs caguen
43% similar
cigüeña vs ceguera
57% similar

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

Key facts for cigüeña
PropertyValue
Headwordcigüeña
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[siˈɣ̞weɲa]
Letters7
Frequency rank#34,495
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cigüeña” 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). cigüeña lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for cigüeña is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [siˈɣ̞weɲa]. Corpus data places it at rank #34,495 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cigüeña, with forms such as "ccigüeña", "cgiüeña", and "cigeüña". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "ciruela", "caguen", "ceguera", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is cigüeña, spelled C-I-G-Ü-E-Ñ-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Familia Ciconiidae) Cualquiera de unas veinte especies de aves zancudas, de gran tamaño, que habitan la mayoría de las zonas templadas y cálidas del globo. Son aves de cuello y patas largas, con el pico robusto y vistoso, pesadas, con una gran envergadura de alas, los que los obliga a planear largamente durante las migraciones.
  2. 2
    Hierro sujeto a la cabeza de la campana, donde se asegura la cuerda para tocarla.
  3. 3
    Codo que tienen los tornos y otros instrumentos y máquinas en la prolongación del eje, por cuyo medio se les da con la mano movimiento rotatorio.
  4. 4
    Vagoneta utilizada por el personal que trabaja en las vías férreas para ir de un lugar a otro.
  5. 5
    Parte superficial de una bomba impelente de pistón, instalada en una perforación petrolera, que es utilizada para levantar mecánicamente el líquido del pozo cuando no hay suficiente presión en el yacimiento para que el líquido fluya hasta la superficie por sí solo como lo hace en los pozos surgentes.
  6. 6
    Instrumento de tortura, hecho de hierro, que sujetaba al condenado por el cuello, manos y tobillo, y lo sometía a una posición incómoda que provocaba calambres en los músculos rectales y abdominales, y a las pocas horas de todo el cuerpo.

Synonyms

cigoñinozancudamanivelamanugriocigüeñuelacigüeñalrabilguanacosacapetróleobomba de varillabomba de vigagarita

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccigüeña,cgiüeña,cigeüña,ciggüeña,cigüeañ,cigüñea,ciügeña,icgüeña,sigüeña

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cigüeña - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccigüeña1cgiüeña2cigeüña2ciggüeña1cigüeañ2cigüñea2ciügeña2icgüeña2
Edit distance from "cigüeña"

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 "cigüeña"?
"cigüeña" is spelled C-I-G-Ü-E-Ñ-A. The IPA pronunciation is [siˈɣ̞weɲa].
What does "cigüeña" mean?
As a noun, "cigüeña" means: (Familia Ciconiidae) Cualquiera de unas veinte especies de aves zancudas, de gran tamaño, que habitan la mayoría de las zonas templadas y cálidas del globo. Son aves de cuello y patas largas, con e...
What words are commonly confused with "cigüeña"?
"cigüeña" is commonly confused with "ciruela", "caguen", "ceguera". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cigüeña"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cigüeña" is [siˈɣ̞weɲa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cigüeña" come from?
"cigüeña" 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.

Using “cigüeña”

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

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