quinqui

[ˈkĩŋki]

/[ˈkĩŋki]/ noun

The verdict

“quinqui” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Etnia de origen incierto, presumiblemente mozárabe, y hábitos seminómadas que habita España; confundida muchas veces con los roma, con los que no tienen relación probada, mantuvieron contactos sólo...

Corpus desk

Index ES-quinqui · quinqui · Spanish

quinqui · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Q" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for quinqui
PropertyValue
Headwordquinqui
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈkĩŋki]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “quinqui” en español

quinquino entra en el top 100.000 del español: zona de términos técnicos, arcaicos o escasos, el terreno típico de la doble comprobación.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quinqui is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈkĩŋki]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for quinqui, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is quinqui, spelled Q-U-I-N-Q-U-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Etnia de origen incierto, presumiblemente mozárabe, y hábitos seminómadas que habita España; confundida muchas veces con los roma, con los que no tienen relación probada, mantuvieron contactos sólo esporádicos con los grupos dominantes hasta fines del siglo XIX. Hoy están en buena medida mestizados con los gitanos. Hablan una lengua propia, de origen desconocido.
  2. 2
    Maleante, malhechor callejero.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Los mercheros podrían calificarse como una etnia aparte. Dicen de ellos que eran moriscos que volvieron a entrar en España después de ser expulsados. Llegaron clandestinamente y en las sombras han vivido mucho tiempo. A principios del siglo XX, y ya desde el XIX, se dedicaban en gran medida a arreglar y vender objetos de metal: la quincallería, de donde n…

Synonyms

merchero

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "quinqui"?
"quinqui" is spelled Q-U-I-N-Q-U-I. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkĩŋki].
What does "quinqui" mean?
As a noun, "quinqui" means: Etnia de origen incierto, presumiblemente mozárabe, y hábitos seminómadas que habita España; confundida muchas veces con los roma, con los que no tienen relación probada, mantuvieron contactos sólo...
How do you pronounce "quinqui"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quinqui" is [ˈkĩŋki]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quinqui" come from?
"quinqui" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list