mariposa
[maɾiˈposa]
The verdict
“mariposa” is a regularly-used Spanish word, ranked #9,495 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.
- #9,495
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Orden Lepidoptera) Cualquiera de muchos millares de especies de insectos lepidópteros, característicos en su forma adulta (imago) por poseer alas de gran tamaño en relación al cuerpo y con frecuen...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mariposa |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [maɾiˈposa] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #9,495 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mariposa” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for mariposa is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [maɾiˈposa]. Corpus data places it at rank #9,495 in overall Spanish word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for mariposa, with forms such as "amriposa", "mairposa", and "mariopsa". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Marisa", "mariposas", "marinos", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is mariposa, spelled M-A-R-I-P-O-S-A.
Definition
- 1(Orden Lepidoptera) Cualquiera de muchos millares de especies de insectos lepidópteros, característicos en su forma adulta (imago) por poseer alas de gran tamaño en relación al cuerpo y con frecuencia de vistoso colorido. Son holometabólicos, atravesando una etapa de larva (oruga) áptera tras la eclosión del huevo, una fase de crisálida intermedia, y finalmente la imago; pese a la extendida creencia en la brevedad de su vida, su ciclo vital depende de la especie, variando entre pocas horas y un año, más aún considerando los períodos de dormancia de la pupa. Los adultos se alimentan primariamente libando néctar floral. La distinción entre mariposas y polillas se basa en la apariencia, y no en criterios taxonómicos, que las consideran partes de un mismo grupo.
- 2Estilo de natación en que el practicante se impulsa mediante la vigorosa ondulación del cuerpo, a la vez que avanza los brazos en círculos por encima de la espalda al recoger y junto al pecho al impulsarse.
- 3Tipo de rosca o tornillo dotado de dos lengüetas similares en forma a alas para permitir su movimiento con los dedos, sin necesidad de herramientas.
- 4Aspersor mecánico usado en algunos sistemas de riego, dotado de varias bocas que recuerdan alas por su disposición.
- 5Por similitud fonética con marica, hombre que siente atracción sexual por personas de su mismo sexo biológico.
- 6Navaja en la que el mango está dividido en dos mitades que pueden pivotar a ambos lados de la base de la hoja. Su apertura se puede realizar por inercia mediante un movimiento circular y rápido de la mano que sostiene la navaja.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amriposa,mairposa,mariopsa,maripoas,maripossa,maripposa,maripsoa,marpiosa,marriposa,mmariposa,mraiposa
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mariposa - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “mariposa”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is M-A-R-I-P-O-S-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [maɾiˈposa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Marisa” - see the side-by-side comparison. mariposa vs Marisa
- 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.