wasabi

[waˈsaβ̞i]

/[waˈsaβ̞i]/ noun

The verdict

“wasabi” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #68,215 among 1,158 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,215
frequency rank, Spanish
1,158
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Especie de planta de la familia Brassicaceae, la cual incluye las coles, el rábano picante y la mostaza.

Key facts for wasabi
PropertyValue
Headwordwasabi
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[waˈsaβ̞i]
Letters6
Frequency rank#68,215
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wasabi” 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). wasabi lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

wasabi is uncommon Spanish at frequency #68,215 among 1,158 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [waˈsaβ̞i]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

wasabi has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 wasabi, spelled W-A-S-A-B-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Especie de planta de la familia Brassicaceae, la cual incluye las coles, el rábano picante y la mostaza.
  2. 2
    Condimento japonés que se extrae de la raíz de la planta Eutrema japonicum, conocida también bajo los sinónimos Cochlearia wasabi y Wasabia japonica, de la familia del repollo. Tiene un sabor extremadamente fuerte y se utiliza principalmente mezclado con la salsa de soja.

This word in other languages

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 "wasabi"?
"wasabi" is spelled W-A-S-A-B-I. The IPA pronunciation is [waˈsaβ̞i].
What does "wasabi" mean?
As a noun, "wasabi" means: Especie de planta de la familia Brassicaceae, la cual incluye las coles, el rábano picante y la mostaza.
How do you pronounce "wasabi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wasabi" is [waˈsaβ̞i]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "wasabi" come from?
"wasabi" 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 “wasabi”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is W-A-S-A-B-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [waˈsaβ̞i] (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

Other uncommon Spanish words near this rank

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