uña

[ˈuɲa]

/[ˈuɲa]/ noun

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

The verdict

“uña” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #16,473) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#16,473
frequency rank, Spanish
4,148
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Capa queratinosa (córnea) que recubre el extremo de los dedos del hombre y de algunos animales. Algunos felinos, como los gatos, tienen uñas retráctiles.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

uña vs us
33% similar
uña vs up
33% similar
uña vs ur
33% similar

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

Key facts for uña
PropertyValue
Headworduña
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈuɲa]
Letters3
Frequency rank#16,473
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “uña” 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). uña lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for uña is neighbouring look-alikes ("us", "up", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced [ˈuɲa]. Frequency #16,473 among 4,148 “U” headwords. 11 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for uña in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "us", "up", "ur", 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, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is uña, spelled U-Ñ-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capa queratinosa (córnea) que recubre el extremo de los dedos del hombre y de algunos animales. Algunos felinos, como los gatos, tienen uñas retráctiles.
  2. 2
    Utensilio para extraer puntas y clavos de distintas superficies, típicamente de la madera. Consta de una barra metálica larga en cuyos dos extremos hay practicada una curvatura, sobre la que se apalanca, después de encajar la cabeza del clavo que queda encajada en la uña que forma el extremo semejante a la pezuña de algunos animales.
  3. 3
    Cierto molusco comestible.^([definición imprecisa]).
  4. 4
    Punta de la cola del escorpión.
  5. 5
    Cada una de las puntas curvas del ancla.
  6. 6
    Espina curvada de algunas plantas.
  7. 7
    Pedazo de plástico que los músicos ponen sobre sus uñas naturales para pulsar instrumentos de cuerda como el arpa y la guitarra.
  8. 8
    Parte inicial y estrecha del pétalo de una flor.
  9. 9
    Apéndice con forma de gancho en el tarso de los insectos.
  10. 10
    Pequeño sacado o hendidura que tienen algunos instrumentos y objetos para poder tirar o empujar con la uña.
  11. 11
    Araña extremadamente venenosa de los campos chilenos.^([definición imprecisa]).

Synonyms

barra de uñapatacabradátil de maruñetaaraña de poto colorado

This word in other languages

nail(English)ongle(Français)Nagel(Deutsch)

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 "uña"?
"uña" is spelled U-Ñ-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈuɲa].
What does "uña" mean?
As a noun, "uña" means: Capa queratinosa (córnea) que recubre el extremo de los dedos del hombre y de algunos animales. Algunos felinos, como los gatos, tienen uñas retráctiles.
What words are commonly confused with "uña"?
"uña" is commonly confused with "us", "up", "ur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "uña"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "uña" is [ˈuɲa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "uña" come from?
"uña" 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 “uña”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is U-Ñ-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈuɲa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “us” - see the side-by-side comparison. uña vs us
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Words at a similar Spanish frequency

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