dorsal
[d̪oɾˈsal]
The verdict
“dorsal” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #13,026 in Spanish word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #13,026
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Propio o relacionado con el dorso o la espalda.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dorsal |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [d̪oɾˈsal] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #13,026 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dorsal” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for dorsal is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [d̪oɾˈsal]. Corpus data places it at rank #13,026 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 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 dorsal, with forms such as "ddorsal", "dorasl", and "dorrsal". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "dorso", "dosel", "dorsales", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
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 dorsal, spelled D-O-R-S-A-L.
Definition
- 1Propio o relacionado con el dorso o la espalda.
- 2Dicho de un fonema, que se articula con el dorso de la lengua haciendo contacto con el paladar.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddorsal,dorasl,dorrsal,dorsall,dorsla,dorssal,dosral,drosal,odrsal
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dorsal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "dorsal"?
What does "dorsal" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "dorsal"?
How do you pronounce "dorsal"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “dorsal”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is D-O-R-S-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [d̪oɾˈsal] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dorso” - see the side-by-side comparison. dorsal vs dorso
- 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.