quiniento

Quiniento is a nonstandard or archaic variant of the Spanish numeral for five hundred. In contemporary Spanish, the correct form is quinientos, which is used in all standard writing and reporting. The spelling quiniento appears in older texts and in some regional or historical spellings, but it is not accepted in modern formal language.

Etymology and development: both quinientos and its variant quiniento derive from the Latin form quingenti. Over time, modern Spanish settled on quinientos as the regular form for five hundred, with quinientas as the feminine plural when counting feminine nouns (quinientas personas). The word functions as a cardinal number and agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number, as in quinientos libros or quinientas personas.

Usage and notes: quinientos is the preferred spelling in everyday use, education, media, and official texts. Quiniento is typically encountered only in historical writings, poetic or archaic contexts, or as a misspelling. When written in modern contexts, using quiniento may be viewed as inaccurate or stylistically marked rather than correct.

See also: Spanish numerals, quinientos, numbers in Spanish.