z

[ˈset̪a]

/[ˈset̪a]/ character

The verdict

“z” is a regularly-used Spanish word, ranked #4,211 in Spanish word frequency and used as a character.

#4,211
frequency rank, Spanish
1
letter
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vigesimoséptima y última letra del abecedario español. Su nombre es zeta o zeda. En la mayor parte de España, es fricativo interdental sordo y en América es el fonema consonántico fricativo dentoal...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

z vs za
50% similar
z vs ze
50% similar
z vs zi
50% similar

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

Key facts for z
PropertyValue
Headwordz
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechCharacter
IPA[ˈset̪a]
Letters1
Frequency rank#4,211
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “z” 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). z lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for z is 1 letters long, classified as a character, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈset̪a]. Corpus data places it at rank #4,211 in overall Spanish word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Vigesimoséptima y última letra del abecedario español. Su nombre es zeta o zeda. En la mayor parte de España, es fricativo interdental sordo y en América es el fonema consonántico fricativo dentoal...".

No generated misspelling entries exist for z in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "za", "ze", "zi", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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 z, spelled Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vigesimoséptima y última letra del abecedario español. Su nombre es zeta o zeda. En la mayor parte de España, es fricativo interdental sordo y en América es el fonema consonántico fricativo dentoalveolar sordo.

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 "z"?
"z" is spelled Z. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈset̪a].
What does "z" mean?
As a character, "z" means: Vigesimoséptima y última letra del abecedario español. Su nombre es zeta o zeda. En la mayor parte de España, es fricativo interdental sordo y en América es el fonema consonántico fricativo dentoal...
What words are commonly confused with "z"?
"z" is commonly confused with "za", "ze", "zi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "z"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "z" is [ˈset̪a]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "z" come from?
"z" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “z”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is Z - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈset̪a] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “za” - see the side-by-side comparison. z vs za
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list