ñau

[ˈɲaw]

/[ˈɲaw]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Onomatopeya del maullido de un gato.

Corpus desk

Index ES-nau · ñau · Spanish

ñau · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Ñ" 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 ñau
PropertyValue
Headwordñau
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɲaw]
Letters3
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “ñau” en español

ñauqueda fuera de las 100.000 palabras españolas más frecuentes, en la cola larga de vocabulario técnico, arcaico o raro, justo donde más se duda de la ortografía.

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

Rare enough to double-check

ñau is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈɲaw]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Onomatopeya del maullido de un gato.".

ñau has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is ñau, spelled Ñ-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Onomatopeya del maullido de un gato.

This word in other languages

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 "ñau"?
"ñau" is spelled Ñ-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɲaw].
What does "ñau" mean?
As a noun, "ñau" means: Onomatopeya del maullido de un gato.
How do you pronounce "ñau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ñau" is [ˈɲaw]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ñau" come from?
"ñau" 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