más bien

[ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]

/[ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]/ phrase

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Se usa para introducir una aclaración o precisión respecto de lo que se venía diciendo.

Key facts for más bien
PropertyValue
Headwordmás bien
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “más bien” sits in Spanish frequency

más bien 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 más bien is 8 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Se usa para introducir una aclaración o precisión respecto de lo que se venía diciendo.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for más bien, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is más bien, spelled M-Á-S- -B-I-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Se usa para introducir una aclaración o precisión respecto de lo que se venía diciendo.

Synonyms

más precisamente

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 "más bien"?
"más bien" is spelled M-Á-S- -B-I-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn].
What does "más bien" mean?
As a phrase, "más bien" means: Se usa para introducir una aclaración o precisión respecto de lo que se venía diciendo.
How do you pronounce "más bien"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "más bien" is [ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "más bien" come from?
"más bien" 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.

Using “más bien”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-Á-S- -B-I-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn] (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