quetzales

[ket̪ˈsales]

/[ket̪ˈsales]/ noun

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

The verdict

“quetzales” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #60,297 among 3,200 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,297
frequency rank, Spanish
3,200
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Forma del plural de quetzal.

Key facts for quetzales
PropertyValue
Headwordquetzales
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ket̪ˈsales]
Letters9
Frequency rank#60,297
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quetzales” 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). quetzales lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quetzales is uncommon Spanish at frequency #60,297 among 3,200 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ket̪ˈsales]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Forma del plural de quetzal.".

quetzales doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is quetzales, spelled Q-U-E-T-Z-A-L-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forma del plural de quetzal.

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 "quetzales"?
"quetzales" is spelled Q-U-E-T-Z-A-L-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ket̪ˈsales].
What does "quetzales" mean?
As a noun, "quetzales" means: Forma del plural de quetzal.
How do you pronounce "quetzales"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quetzales" is [ket̪ˈsales]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quetzales" come from?
"quetzales" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “quetzales”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is Q-U-E-T-Z-A-L-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ket̪ˈsales] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Other uncommon Spanish words near this rank

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