espían

[esˈpiãn]

/[esˈpiãn]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“espían” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #69,375 among 101,141 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,375
frequency rank, Spanish
101,141
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de espiar.

Key facts for espían
PropertyValue
Headwordespían
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[esˈpiãn]
Letters6
Frequency rank#69,375
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “espían” 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). espían lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

espían is uncommon Spanish at frequency #69,375 among 101,141 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [esˈpiãn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de espiar.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for espían, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Spanish rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

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 espían, spelled E-S-P-Í-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de espiar.

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 "espían"?
"espían" is spelled E-S-P-Í-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is [esˈpiãn].
What does "espían" mean?
As a verb, "espían" means: Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de espiar.
How do you pronounce "espían"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "espían" is [esˈpiãn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "espían" come from?
"espían" 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.

Using “espían”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is E-S-P-Í-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [esˈpiãn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Other uncommon Spanish words near this rank

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