loco
/ˈləʊ.kəʊ/adverb, adjective, noun, verb
loco is spelled L-O-C-O: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, loco means “A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in loco?
| Letters | 4: L-O-C-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is loco?
Loco appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce loco?
- UK /ˈləʊ.kəʊ/
Loco has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-loco.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with loco
Also written: loc.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with loco?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as loco from its last stressed vowel (/əʊkəʊ/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cool, colo.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of loco
- more loco comparative
- most loco superlative
- locos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- locoes plural
- locoing participle, present
- locoed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does loco mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower.
adjective
- 1
colloquialCrazy.
- 2
USIntoxicated by eating locoweed.
noun
- 1
A certain species of Astragalus or Oxytropis, capable of causing locoism.
- 2
informalShort for locomotive.
- 3
USinformalShort for locofoco, in its various senses.
verb
- 1
To poison with the loco plant; to affect with locoism.
- 2
colloquialTo render insane.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate loco?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of loco: loc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Loco in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense short form of locomotive:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Lok |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does loco come from?
Borrowed from Italian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).