listen

[ˈlist̪ẽn]

/[ˈlist̪ẽn]/ verb

The verdict

“listen” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #38,791 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.

#38,791
frequency rank, Spanish
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de listar.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

listen vs listo
67% similar
listen vs listos
67% similar
listen vs listón
83% similar

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

Key facts for listen
PropertyValue
Headwordlisten
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈlist̪ẽn]
Letters6
Frequency rank#38,791
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “listen” 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). listen lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for listen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈlist̪ẽn]. Corpus data places it at rank #38,791 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for listen, with forms such as "ilsten", "lisetn", and "lissten". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "listo", "listos", "listón", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Spanish form is listen, spelled L-I-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de listar.
  2. 2
    Segunda persona del plural (ustedes) del imperativo de listar.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ilsten,lisetn,lissten,listenn,listne,listten,litsen,llisten,lsiten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of listen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ilsten2lisetn2lissten1listenn1listne2listten1litsen2llisten1
Edit distance from "listen"

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 "listen"?
"listen" is spelled L-I-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlist̪ẽn].
What does "listen" mean?
As a verb, "listen" means: Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de listar.
What words are commonly confused with "listen"?
"listen" is commonly confused with "listo", "listos", "listón". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "listen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "listen" is [ˈlist̪ẽn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "listen" come from?
"listen" 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 “listen”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is L-I-S-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈlist̪ẽn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “listo” - see the side-by-side comparison. listen vs listo
  • 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