espiar
[esˈpjaɾ]
The verdict
“espiar” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #17,692 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.
- #17,692
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 13
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Observar disimuladamente y en secreto lo que alguien hace.
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 | espiar |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [esˈpjaɾ] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #17,692 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 13 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “espiar” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for espiar is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [esˈpjaɾ]. Corpus data places it at rank #17,692 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for espiar, with forms such as "epsiar", "esipar", and "espair". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "estar", "espina", "espino", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is espiar, spelled E-S-P-I-A-R.
Definition
- 1Observar disimuladamente y en secreto lo que alguien hace.
- 2En particular, espiar para obtener información.
- 3Ansiar, anhelar.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epsiar,esipar,espair,espiarr,espira,esppiar,esspiar,sepiar
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of espiar - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "espiar"?
What does "espiar" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "espiar"?
How do you pronounce "espiar"?
What language does "espiar" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “espiar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is E-S-P-I-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [esˈpjaɾ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “estar” - see the side-by-side comparison. espiar vs estar
- 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.