espantajo

[espãn̪ˈt̪axo]

/[espãn̪ˈt̪axo]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lo que se pone en algún paraje para espantar

Corpus desk

Index ES-espantajo · espantajo · Spanish

espantajo · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 espantajo
PropertyValue
Headwordespantajo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[espãn̪ˈt̪axo]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “espantajo” en español

espantajoqueda 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

espantajo is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [espãn̪ˈt̪axo]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for espantajo in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

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 espantajo, spelled E-S-P-A-N-T-A-J-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lo que se pone en algún paraje para espantar
  2. 2
    Cualquier cosa que infunde vano temor
  3. 3
    Persona fea y estrafalaria

Synonyms

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 "espantajo"?
"espantajo" is spelled E-S-P-A-N-T-A-J-O. The IPA pronunciation is [espãn̪ˈt̪axo].
What does "espantajo" mean?
As a noun, "espantajo" means: Lo que se pone en algún paraje para espantar
How do you pronounce "espantajo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "espantajo" is [espãn̪ˈt̪axo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "espantajo" come from?
"espantajo" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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