más bien

[ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]

/[ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]/ phrase

The verdict

“más bien” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Se usa para introducir una aclaración o precisión respecto de lo que se venía diciendo.

Corpus desk

Index ES-mas-bien · más bien · Spanish

más bien · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

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

Cola larga: rango de “más bien” en español

más bienno entra en el top 100.000 del español: zona de términos técnicos, arcaicos o escasos, el terreno típico de la doble comprobación.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

más bien is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ˈmas ˈβ̞jẽn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list