zorrillo

[soˈriʝo]

/[soˈriʝo]/ noun

The verdict

“zorrillo” is an uncommon Spanish word, ranked #53,958 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#53,958
frequency rank, Spanish
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Mephitis, Conepatus, Mydaus, Spilogale) Cualquier especie de la familia de los mefítidos, pequeños carnívoros de color negro con dos fajas blancas al costado, que despide cuando le atacan un líqui...

Key facts for zorrillo
PropertyValue
Headwordzorrillo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[soˈriʝo]
Letters8
Frequency rank#53,958
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zorrillo” 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). zorrillo 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 zorrillo is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [soˈriʝo]. Corpus data places it at rank #53,958 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for zorrillo, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Spanish patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is zorrillo, spelled Z-O-R-R-I-L-L-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Mephitis, Conepatus, Mydaus, Spilogale) Cualquier especie de la familia de los mefítidos, pequeños carnívoros de color negro con dos fajas blancas al costado, que despide cuando le atacan un líquido pestífero.
  2. 2
    Figuradamente, algo o alguien maloliente.
  3. 3
    Por analogía, vehículo policial equipado para disparar gas lacrimógeno.

Synonyms

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 "zorrillo"?
"zorrillo" is spelled Z-O-R-R-I-L-L-O. The IPA pronunciation is [soˈriʝo].
What does "zorrillo" mean?
As a noun, "zorrillo" means: (Mephitis, Conepatus, Mydaus, Spilogale) Cualquier especie de la familia de los mefítidos, pequeños carnívoros de color negro con dos fajas blancas al costado, que despide cuando le atacan un líqui...
How do you pronounce "zorrillo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zorrillo" is [soˈriʝo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zorrillo" come from?
"zorrillo" 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 “zorrillo”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is Z-O-R-R-I-L-L-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [soˈriʝo] (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
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