expiar

[eksˈpjaɾ]

/[eksˈpjaɾ]/ verb

The verdict

“expiar” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #68,570 among 5,243 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,570
frequency rank, Spanish
5,243
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Limpiar o enmendar la culpa a través del cumplimiento de un castigo o penitencia.

Corpus desk

Index ES-expiar · expiar · Spanish

expiar · rank #68,570 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,570
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,243
  • PHOTO-FINISH existencialis…

Nearest frequency peer: existencialista (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rangos de cola larga cerca de “expiar”

Banda escasa: las barras invierten el rango para que lo raro se lea más corto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista de cola larga: dónde “expiar” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for expiar
PropertyValue
Headwordexpiar
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[eksˈpjaɾ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#68,570
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “expiar” en español

Esta escala corre desde el núcleo del español cotidiano (izquierda) hasta el rastro de formas rara vez usadas (derecha).expiarcae en esta cola de rareza:

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

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “existencialista” (#68,569), “extinguen” (#68,572), “exclusive” (#68,567). Entre 5,243 lemas con “E”, “expiar” va en #68,570. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

expiar is uncommon Spanish at frequency #68,570 among 5,243 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [eksˈpjaɾ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for expiar in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Spanish rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is expiar, spelled E-X-P-I-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Limpiar o enmendar la culpa a través del cumplimiento de un castigo o penitencia.
  2. 2
    Referido a un delincuente, cumplir una pena.
  3. 3
    Sufrir las consecuencias de decisiones o acciones generalmente desacertadas.
  4. 4
    Purificar lo profanado.
  5. 5
    Depurar responsabilidades, tomando las decisiones pertinentes.^([cita requerida])

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how expiar appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Pero enseguida evocó los horrores de la cárcel y logró contenerse. Además, se animó, él pensaba expiar la culpa en el matorral. Se haría de verdad eremita. Rezaría dos horas diarias. Se fustigaría con una vara.
  2. Queda sin saberse si Forcat es el verdadero culpable del homicidio que expía en la cárcel.

Synonyms

purgarpurificarredimir

This word in other languages

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 "expiar"?
"expiar" is spelled E-X-P-I-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is [eksˈpjaɾ].
What does "expiar" mean?
As a verb, "expiar" means: Limpiar o enmendar la culpa a través del cumplimiento de un castigo o penitencia.
How do you pronounce "expiar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "expiar" is [eksˈpjaɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "expiar" come from?
"expiar" 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "expiar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list