fricativo

[fɾikaˈt̪iβ̞o]

/[fɾikaˈt̪iβ̞o]/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Caracterizado por el sonido de la fricción del flujo de aire cuando es forzado a pasar por el tracto vocal parcialmente cerrado.

Corpus desk

Index ES-fricativo · fricativo · Spanish

fricativo · 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 "F" 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 fricativo
PropertyValue
Headwordfricativo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[fɾikaˈt̪iβ̞o]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fricativo” sits in Spanish frequency

fricativo falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Spanish words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fricativo is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [fɾikaˈt̪iβ̞o]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Caracterizado por el sonido de la fricción del flujo de aire cuando es forzado a pasar por el tracto vocal parcialmente cerrado.".

Zero misspellings are on record for fricativo 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.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Spanish form is fricativo, spelled F-R-I-C-A-T-I-V-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Caracterizado por el sonido de la fricción del flujo de aire cuando es forzado a pasar por el tracto vocal parcialmente cerrado.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fricativo"?
"fricativo" is spelled F-R-I-C-A-T-I-V-O. The IPA pronunciation is [fɾikaˈt̪iβ̞o].
What does "fricativo" mean?
As an adjective, "fricativo" means: Caracterizado por el sonido de la fricción del flujo de aire cuando es forzado a pasar por el tracto vocal parcialmente cerrado.
How do you pronounce "fricativo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fricativo" is [fɾikaˈt̪iβ̞o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fricativo" come from?
"fricativo" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.
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