escarbar
[eskaɾˈβ̞aɾ]
The verdict
“escarbar” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #48,381 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.
- #48,381
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Rascar y remover de modo repetido la tierra en su superficie, generalmente con las manos o las patas, como lo hacen a veces ciertos animales tales como la gallina buscando lombrices, el toro cuando...
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 | escarbar |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [eskaɾˈβ̞aɾ] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #48,381 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “escarbar” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for escarbar is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [eskaɾˈβ̞aɾ]. Corpus data places it at rank #48,381 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for escarbar, with forms such as "ecsarbar", "esacrbar", and "escabrar". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Escobar", "escapar", "escalar", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is escarbar, spelled E-S-C-A-R-B-A-R.
Definition
- 1Rascar y remover de modo repetido la tierra en su superficie, generalmente con las manos o las patas, como lo hacen a veces ciertos animales tales como la gallina buscando lombrices, el toro cuando amenaza, el perro enterrando algo, etc.
- 2Remover, sacar poco a poco o revolver cosas contenidas en algo, tales como la suciedad en los oídos o entre los dientes, las cosas de un cajón, los insectos en la corteza de un árbol, etc.
- 3Mover con alguna herramienta (por ejemplo un badil o una paleta de metal), materia combustible, como la leña o los tizones encendidos, para avivar el fuego o la lumbre.
- 4Averiguar, preguntar, indagar o inquirir con curiosidad e insistencia sobre algo secreto, oculto o encubierto.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ecsarbar,esacrbar,escabrar,escarabr,escarbarr,escarbbar,escarbra,escarrbar,escarvar,esccarbar,escrabar,esscarbar,secarbar
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of escarbar - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "escarbar"?
What does "escarbar" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "escarbar"?
How do you pronounce "escarbar"?
What language does "escarbar" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “escarbar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is E-S-C-A-R-B-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [eskaɾˈβ̞aɾ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Escobar” - see the side-by-side comparison. escarbar vs Escobar
- 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.