sambenito

[sãmbeˈnit̪o]

/[sãmbeˈnit̪o]/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Capotillo o escapulario que se ponía a los penitentes reconciliados por el tribunal de la Inquisición.

Key facts for sambenito
PropertyValue
Headwordsambenito
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[sãmbeˈnit̪o]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sambenito” sits in Spanish frequency

sambenito falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Spanish words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

sambenito is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [sãmbeˈnit̪o]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

sambenito doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is sambenito, spelled S-A-M-B-E-N-I-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capotillo o escapulario que se ponía a los penitentes reconciliados por el tribunal de la Inquisición.
  2. 2
    Letrero que se ponía en las iglesias con el nombre y castigo de los penitenciados, y las señales de su castigo.
  3. 3
    Mala nota que queda de una acción.
  4. 4
    Difamación, descrédito.

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 "sambenito"?
"sambenito" is spelled S-A-M-B-E-N-I-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is [sãmbeˈnit̪o].
What does "sambenito" mean?
As a noun, "sambenito" means: Capotillo o escapulario que se ponía a los penitentes reconciliados por el tribunal de la Inquisición.
How do you pronounce "sambenito"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sambenito" is [sãmbeˈnit̪o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sambenito" come from?
"sambenito" 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.

Using “sambenito”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is S-A-M-B-E-N-I-T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [sãmbeˈnit̪o] (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
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