ostenta

[osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a]

/[osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a]/ verb

The verdict

“ostenta” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #16,660 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.

#16,660
frequency rank, Spanish
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ostentar.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ostenta vs ostentan
88% similar
ostenta vs ostentar
88% similar
ostenta vs ostentaba
78% similar

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

Key facts for ostenta
PropertyValue
Headwordostenta
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a]
Letters7
Frequency rank#16,660
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ostenta” 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). ostenta 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 ostenta is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a]. Corpus data places it at rank #16,660 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 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for ostenta, with forms such as "osetnta", "osstenta", and "ostenat". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "ostentan", "ostentar", "ostentaba", 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, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is ostenta, spelled O-S-T-E-N-T-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ostentar.
  2. 2
    Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de ostentar.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: osetnta,osstenta,ostenat,ostennta,ostentta,ostetna,ostneta,osttenta,otsenta,sotenta

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ostenta - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

osetnta2osstenta1ostenat2ostennta1ostentta1ostetna2ostneta2osttenta1
Edit distance from "ostenta"

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 "ostenta"?
"ostenta" is spelled O-S-T-E-N-T-A. The IPA pronunciation is [osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a].
What does "ostenta" mean?
As a verb, "ostenta" means: Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ostentar.
What words are commonly confused with "ostenta"?
"ostenta" is commonly confused with "ostentan", "ostentar", "ostentaba". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ostenta"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ostenta" is [osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ostenta" come from?
"ostenta" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “ostenta”

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

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