pero

[ˈpeɾo]

/[ˈpeɾo]/ conj

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

The verdict

“pero” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #26) as a conjunction. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#26
frequency rank, Spanish
6,028
“P” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Úsase para introducir una proposición que contradice o se contrapone a la anterior.

Corpus desk

Index ES-pero · pero · Spanish

pero · rank #26 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #26
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,028
  • PHOTO-FINISH más

Nearest frequency peer: más (-2 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pero”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pero” sits against the nearest ranked Spanish headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pero vs po
50% similar
pero vs por
50% similar
pero vs pro
75% similar

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

Key facts for pero
PropertyValue
Headwordpero
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechConjunction
IPA[ˈpeɾo]
Letters4
Frequency rank#26
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Dónde se sitúa “pero” en la frecuencia del español

De izquierda a derecha: las pocas palabras que cargan el habla diaria, luego la cola larga casi invisible.perocae aquí:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). En la misma franja de rareza aparecen “más” (#24), “o” (#28), “mi” (#29). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for pero is neighbouring look-alikes ("po", "por", …), not just typos; it is aconjunction pronounced [ˈpeɾo]. Frequency #26 among 6,028 “P” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for pero, with forms such as "epro", "ppero", and "preo". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "po", "por", "pro", 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, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Spanish form is pero, spelled P-E-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Úsase para introducir una proposición que contradice o se contrapone a la anterior.
  2. 2
    Úsase en posición inicial con valor enfático o para indicar sorpresa.
  3. 3
    Úsase para contraponer una afirmación a una negación anterior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how pero appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. ¿Traes bien guardado el yelmo de Mambrino, que ya vi que le alzaste del suelo cuando aquel desagradecido le quiso hacer pedazos pero no pudo?
  2. ¿Pero dónde puede estar Catalina? ¿Habrá seguido a la monja?

Synonyms

massino

This word in other languages

but(English)mais(Français)aber(Deutsch)mas(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epro
  • ppero
  • preo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pero - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

epro2ppero1preo2
Edit distance from "pero"

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 "pero"?
"pero" is spelled P-E-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpeɾo].
What does "pero" mean?
As a conjunction, "pero" means: Úsase para introducir una proposición que contradice o se contrapone a la anterior.
What words are commonly confused with "pero"?
"pero" is commonly confused with "po", "por", "pro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pero"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pero" is [ˈpeɾo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pero" come from?
"pero" 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pero", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

este#31esta#33para#18todo#34

What to do next

You've looked up "pero". Here's where to go from here.

  • "pero" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "po". View pair
  • 3 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #26 among Spanish headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Spanish words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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