fonema

[foˈnema]

/[foˈnema]/ noun

The verdict

“fonema” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #56,344 among 2,333 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,344
frequency rank, Spanish
2,333
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unidad mínima de sonido que es percibida como distintiva por los hablantes de una lengua.

Corpus desk

Index ES-fonema · fonema · Spanish

fonema · rank #56,344 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,344
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,333
  • PHOTO-FINISH following

Nearest frequency peer: following (-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 “fonema”

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 “fonema” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fonema
PropertyValue
Headwordfonema
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[foˈnema]
Letters6
Frequency rank#56,344
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “fonema” en español

La frecuencia va del puñado de palabras que usamos sin parar (izquierda) a la cola larga que apenas aparece (derecha).fonemacae en esta cola de rareza:

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

Los ticks avanzan en logaritmo; cada uno es del orden de diez veces más raro. Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “following” (#56,343), “fornido” (#56,346), “flexibilizar” (#56,341). Entre 2,333 lemas con “F”, “fonema” va en #56,344. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fonema is uncommon Spanish at frequency #56,344 among 2,333 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [foˈnema]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Unidad mínima de sonido que es percibida como distintiva por los hablantes de una lengua.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for fonema, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

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 fonema, spelled F-O-N-E-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unidad mínima de sonido que es percibida como distintiva por los hablantes de una lengua.

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 "fonema"?
"fonema" is spelled F-O-N-E-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is [foˈnema].
What does "fonema" mean?
As a noun, "fonema" means: Unidad mínima de sonido que es percibida como distintiva por los hablantes de una lengua.
How do you pronounce "fonema"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fonema" is [foˈnema]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fonema" come from?
"fonema" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "fonema", 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