pero
[ˈpeɾo]
The verdict
“pero” is in the everyday core of Spanish, ranked #26 in Spanish word frequency and used as a conjunction.
- #26
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 4
- letters
- 3
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Úsase para introducir una proposición que contradice o se contrapone a la anterior.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pero |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Conjunction |
| IPA | [ˈpeɾo] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #26 |
| Misspellings tracked | 3 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pero” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for pero is 4 letters long, classified as a conjunction, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈpeɾo]. Corpus data places it at rank #26 in overall Spanish word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Úsase para introducir una proposición que contradice o se contrapone a la anterior.
- 2Úsase en posición inicial con valor enfático o para indicar sorpresa.
- 3Úsase para contraponer una afirmación a una negación anterior.
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “pero”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is P-E-R-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈpeɾo] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “po” - see the side-by-side comparison. pero vs po
- 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.