enclave

[ẽŋˈklaβ̞e]

/[ẽŋˈklaβ̞e]/ noun

The verdict

“enclave” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #20,669 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#20,669
frequency rank, Spanish
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Territorio incluido en otro de mayor extensión con características diferentes: políticas, administrativas, geográficas, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

enclave vs enlace
71% similar
enclave vs esclavo
71% similar
enclave vs esclava
71% similar

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

Key facts for enclave
PropertyValue
Headwordenclave
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ẽŋˈklaβ̞e]
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,669
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “enclave” 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). enclave 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 enclave is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ẽŋˈklaβ̞e]. Corpus data places it at rank #20,669 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 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for enclave, with forms such as "ecnlave", "encalve", and "encclave". 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, "enlace", "esclavo", "esclava", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Spanish form is enclave, spelled E-N-C-L-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Territorio incluido en otro de mayor extensión con características diferentes: políticas, administrativas, geográficas, etc.
  2. 2
    Grupo humano inserto en otro de características distintas.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ecnlave,encalve,encclave,enclabe,enclaev,enclavve,encllave,enclvae,enlcave,ennclave,neclave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ecnlave2encalve2encclave1enclabe1enclaev2enclavve1encllave1enclvae2
Edit distance from "enclave"

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 "enclave"?
"enclave" is spelled E-N-C-L-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ẽŋˈklaβ̞e].
What does "enclave" mean?
As a noun, "enclave" means: Territorio incluido en otro de mayor extensión con características diferentes: políticas, administrativas, geográficas, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "enclave"?
"enclave" is commonly confused with "enlace", "esclavo", "esclava". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "enclave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enclave" is [ẽŋˈklaβ̞e]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "enclave" come from?
"enclave" 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 “enclave”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is E-N-C-L-A-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ẽŋˈklaβ̞e] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “enlace” - see the side-by-side comparison. enclave vs enlace
  • 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