león

[leˈõn]

/[leˈõn]/ noun

The verdict

“león” has 5 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #1,609. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,609
frequency rank, Spanish
17,327
“L” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Panthera leo) Felino del Viejo Mundo de gran tamaño, el mayor del mundo tras el tigre y una de las cuatro especies capaces de rugir gracias a la peculiar conformación de su hioides. Es distintiva ...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

león vs lo
25% similar
león vs los
25% similar
león vs les
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for león
PropertyValue
Headwordleón
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[leˈõn]
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,609
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “león” 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). león lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around león (IPA [leˈõn]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,609 among 17,327 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for león, with forms such as "elón", "lenó", and "leónn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lo", "los", "les", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 león, spelled L-E-Ó-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Panthera leo) Felino del Viejo Mundo de gran tamaño, el mayor del mundo tras el tigre y una de las cuatro especies capaces de rugir gracias a la peculiar conformación de su hioides. Es distintiva la frondosa melena que orna el cuello de los machos adultos. Alcanzan los 225 kg de peso; su piel es normalmente pardoamarillenta, adaptada al mimetismo con su hábitat, la sabana africana, adonde están casi exclusivamente confinados hoy, tras haber habitado gran parte de Europa y Asia. Son predadores que forman manadas de un pequeño grupo de machos reproductores, varias leonas y sus crías inmaduras.
  2. 2
    (Puma concolor) Por analogía, puma.
  3. 3
    Figuradamente, persona audaz y arrojada.

Synonyms

león americanoleón de montañapuma

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: elón,lenó,leónn,lleón,lóen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of león - 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.

elón2lenó2leónn1lleón1lóen2
Edit distance from "león"

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 "león"?
"león" is spelled L-E-Ó-N. The IPA pronunciation is [leˈõn].
What does "león" mean?
As a noun, "león" means: (Panthera leo) Felino del Viejo Mundo de gran tamaño, el mayor del mundo tras el tigre y una de las cuatro especies capaces de rugir gracias a la peculiar conformación de su hioides. Es distintiva ...
What words are commonly confused with "león"?
"león" is commonly confused with "lo", "los", "les". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "león"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "león" is [leˈõn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "león" come from?
"león" 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 “león”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is L-E-Ó-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [leˈõn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lo” - see the side-by-side comparison. león vs lo
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list