lingala

[lĩŋˈgala]

/[lĩŋˈgala]/ noun

The verdict

“lingala” is outside the top-ranked Spanish vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lengua bantú hablada por unos 10 millones de personas en la región noroccidental de la República Democrática del Congo y la mayor parte de la República del Congo y otras naciones adyacentes. Es una...

Key facts for lingala
PropertyValue
Headwordlingala
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[lĩŋˈgala]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lingala” sits in Spanish frequency

lingala 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for lingala is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [lĩŋˈgala]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for lingala, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Spanish rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, 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 lingala, spelled L-I-N-G-A-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lengua bantú hablada por unos 10 millones de personas en la región noroccidental de la República Democrática del Congo y la mayor parte de la República del Congo y otras naciones adyacentes. Es una lengua parcialmente artificial, formada uniendo a la lengua bobangi numerosos elementos de otros idiomas bantúes y de varias lenguas europeas alrededor de fines del siglo XIX. Cuenta con una forma literaria y tres dialectos hablados, marcadamente diferentes e influídos por las lenguas de las regiones cercanas.
  2. 2
    Género musical congoleño, producto de la fusión de música tradicional de la región con ritmos afrocubanos.

Synonyms

rumba africanasukus

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lingala"?
"lingala" is spelled L-I-N-G-A-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is [lĩŋˈgala].
What does "lingala" mean?
As a noun, "lingala" means: Lengua bantú hablada por unos 10 millones de personas en la región noroccidental de la República Democrática del Congo y la mayor parte de la República del Congo y otras naciones adyacentes. Es una...
How do you pronounce "lingala"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lingala" is [lĩŋˈgala]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lingala" come from?
"lingala" 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.

Using “lingala”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is L-I-N-G-A-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [lĩŋˈgala] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list