vaivén
Spanish, noun/baiˈben/
vaivén is a Spanish masculine noun meaning “swaying, rocking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Movimiento alternativo de un elemento en dos direcciones contrarias”.
What does vaivén mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculineswaying, rocking
- 2
masculinefluctuation
- 3
masculineback and forth, ups and downs
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Movimiento alternativo de un elemento en dos direcciones contrarias. 2. Alteración repentina en el estado de las cosas.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of vaivén
- vaivenes plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce vaivén?
- /baiˈben/
- [bai̯ˈβ̞ẽn]
- [bajˈβ̞ẽn]
Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is vaivén in Spanish?
vaivén appears about once in every 2 million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).