habanera

^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\

/^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\/ noun

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

The verdict

“habanera” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Danse et musique cubaine nées en 1830 à Cuba.

Key facts for habanera
PropertyValue
Headwordhabanera
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “habanera” sits in French frequency

habanera falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for habanera is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as ^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Danse et musique cubaine nées en 1830 à Cuba.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for habanera, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is habanera, spelled H-A-B-A-N-E-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Danse et musique cubaine nées en 1830 à Cuba.

Synonyms

havanaise

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "habanera"?
"habanera" is spelled H-A-B-A-N-E-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\.
What does "habanera" mean?
As a noun, "habanera" means: Danse et musique cubaine nées en 1830 à Cuba.
How do you pronounce "habanera"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "habanera" is ^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "habanera" come from?
"habanera" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “habanera”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-A-B-A-N-E-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as ^((h aspiré))\a.ba.ne.ʁa\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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