en vano

[ẽn ˈbano]

/[ẽn ˈbano]/ phrase

The verdict

“en vano” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sin obtener resultados, de manera inútil.

Corpus desk

Index ES-en-vano · en vano · Spanish

en vano · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for en vano
PropertyValue
Headworden vano
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ẽn ˈbano]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “en vano” en español

en vanoqueda fuera de las 100.000 palabras españolas más frecuentes, en la cola larga de vocabulario técnico, arcaico o raro, justo donde más se duda de la ortografía.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

en vano is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ẽn ˈbano]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for en vano in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is en vano, spelled E-N- -V-A-N-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sin obtener resultados, de manera inútil.
  2. 2
    Sin el debido respeto o reverencia a lo que es sagrado.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. No tomarás el nombre de Dios en vano (2° Mandamiento de la Ley de Dios)

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "en vano"?
"en vano" is spelled E-N- -V-A-N-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ẽn ˈbano].
What does "en vano" mean?
As a phrase, "en vano" means: Sin obtener resultados, de manera inútil.
How do you pronounce "en vano"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "en vano" is [ẽn ˈbano]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "en vano" come from?
"en vano" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list