pillar

[piˈʝaɾ]

/[piˈʝaɾ]/ verb

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

The verdict

“pillar” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #18,042 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.

#18,042
frequency rank, Spanish
6
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tomar o coger para sí lo que es propiedad de otros.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pillar vs polla
67% similar
pillar vs piola
67% similar
pillar vs polar
67% similar

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

Key facts for pillar
PropertyValue
Headwordpillar
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[piˈʝaɾ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,042
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pillar” 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). pillar 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 pillar is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [piˈʝaɾ]. Corpus data places it at rank #18,042 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pillar, with forms such as "ipllar", "pilalr", and "pillarr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "polla", "piola", "polar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

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 pillar, spelled P-I-L-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tomar o coger para sí lo que es propiedad de otros.
  2. 2
    Descubrir o sorprender a personas o animales cometiendo un acto ilícito, secreto o delictivo.
  3. 3
    Asir, sujetar, agarrar o aprehender una cosa, animal o persona, especialmente después de perseguirlos.
  4. 4
    Golpear, alcanzar o atropellar algo o a alguien de modo accidental, súbito o inesperado, o como parte de un movimiento para hacer otra cosa.
  5. 5
    Causarle a alguien algo, generalmente negativo, de modo súbito o inesperado.
  6. 6
    Contraer una enfermedad contagiosa, comenzar a sufrir cierta condición o estado, generalmente negativos.
  7. 7
    Encontrar o hallar a una persona o animal en cierto ánimo, temple o situación.
  8. 8
    Apostar o jugar dinero haciendo trampa.
  9. 9
    Entender algo, por ej. un chiste.

Synonyms

hurtarrobarcogersorprendercoger

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ipllar,pilalr,pillarr,pillra,plilar,ppillar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ipllar2pilalr2pillarr1pillra2plilar2ppillar1
Edit distance from "pillar"

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 "pillar"?
"pillar" is spelled P-I-L-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is [piˈʝaɾ].
What does "pillar" mean?
As a verb, "pillar" means: Tomar o coger para sí lo que es propiedad de otros.
What words are commonly confused with "pillar"?
"pillar" is commonly confused with "polla", "piola", "polar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pillar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pillar" is [piˈʝaɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pillar" come from?
"pillar" 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 “pillar”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is P-I-L-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [piˈʝaɾ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “polla” - see the side-by-side comparison. pillar vs polla
  • 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