zapa

[ˈsapa]

/[ˈsapa]/ noun

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

The verdict

“zapa” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #72,415 among 220 “Z” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,415
frequency rank, Spanish
220
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Especie de pala herrada de la mitad abajo, con un corte acerado, que usan los zapadores o gastadores.

Corpus desk

Index ES-zapa · zapa · Spanish

zapa · rank #72,415 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,415
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 220
  • PHOTO-FINISH zancadilla

Nearest frequency peer: zancadilla (-2 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.

Rangos de cola larga cerca de “zapa”

Banda escasa: las barras invierten el rango para que lo raro se lea más corto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista de cola larga: dónde “zapa” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for zapa
PropertyValue
Headwordzapa
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈsapa]
Letters4
Frequency rank#72,415
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “zapa” en español

De izquierda a derecha: las pocas palabras que cargan el habla diaria, luego la cola larga casi invisible.zapacae en esta cola de rareza:

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

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “zancadilla” (#72,413), “Zeledón” (#72,419), “Zacatepec” (#72,410). Entre 220 lemas con “Z”, “zapa” va en #72,415. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

zapa is uncommon Spanish at frequency #72,415 among 220 “Z” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈsapa]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for zapa in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Spanish rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is zapa, spelled Z-A-P-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Especie de pala herrada de la mitad abajo, con un corte acerado, que usan los zapadores o gastadores.
  2. 2
    Excavación de galería subterránea o de zanja al descubierto.

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 "zapa"?
"zapa" is spelled Z-A-P-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈsapa].
What does "zapa" mean?
As a noun, "zapa" means: Especie de pala herrada de la mitad abajo, con un corte acerado, que usan los zapadores o gastadores.
How do you pronounce "zapa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zapa" is [ˈsapa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zapa" come from?
"zapa" 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Yann#72,404aina#72,467Sojo#72,317bild#72,542

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list