semáforo

[seˈmafoɾo]

/[seˈmafoɾo]/ noun

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

The verdict

“semáforo” has 12 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #15,227. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,227
frequency rank, Spanish
4,169
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dispositivo eléctrico de señalización luminoso para la regulación del tráfico en las vías de tránsito.

Corpus desk

Index ES-semaforo · semáforo · Spanish

semáforo · rank #15,227 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #15,227
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,169
  • PHOTO-FINISH seguís

Nearest frequency peer: seguís (-1 rank slots)

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.

Pares de rango junto al imán ortográfico “semáforo”

Misma franja de rareza: útil si un typo cae en un lema vecino

corpus weight

What this shows “semáforo” está entre estos pares FrequencyWords; la profundidad de typo se mide aparte en el gráfico de distancia de edición.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

semáforo vs semáforos
89% similar

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

Key facts for semáforo
PropertyValue
Headwordsemáforo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[seˈmafoɾo]
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,227
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frecuencia del imán ortográfico “semáforo”

La frecuencia va del puñado de palabras que usamos sin parar (izquierda) a la cola larga que apenas aparece (derecha).semáforocae aquí:

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

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). En la misma franja de rareza aparecen “seguís” (#15,226), “say” (#15,225), “server” (#15,229). Entre 4,169 lemas con “S”, “semáforo” va en #15,227. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around semáforo (IPA [seˈmafoɾo]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,227 among 4,169 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for semáforo, with forms such as "cemáforo", "esmáforo", and "semfáoro". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "semáforos", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 semáforo, spelled S-E-M-Á-F-O-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dispositivo eléctrico de señalización luminoso para la regulación del tráfico en las vías de tránsito.
  2. 2
    Dispositivo náutico que emite señales ópticas empleado para la comunicación entre la costa y los buques.
  3. 3
    Otros sistemas existentes de señales ópticas.
  4. 4
    Variable especial que controla el acceso a recursos compartidos en un entorno de multiprocesamiento, y permite sincronizar los procesos entre sí.

This word in other languages

semaphore(English)semáforo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cemáforo
  • esmáforo
  • semfáoro
  • semmáforo
  • semáfforo
  • semáfoor
  • semáforro
  • semáfroo
  • semáofro
  • seámforo
  • smeáforo
  • ssemáforo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of semáforo - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cemáforo1esmáforo2semfáoro2semmáforo1semáfforo1semáfoor2semáforro1semáfroo2
Edit distance from "semáforo"

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 "semáforo"?
"semáforo" is spelled S-E-M-Á-F-O-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is [seˈmafoɾo].
What does "semáforo" mean?
As a noun, "semáforo" means: Dispositivo eléctrico de señalización luminoso para la regulación del tráfico en las vías de tránsito.
What words are commonly confused with "semáforo"?
"semáforo" is commonly confused with "semáforos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "semáforo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "semáforo" is [seˈmafoɾo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "semáforo" come from?
"semáforo" 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "semáforo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

southern#15,232procedió#15,205pescador#15,196aconsejo#15,259

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

paseando12 variantsalbergue12 variantsarriesgado12 variantsasquerosa12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list