paca

/ˈpækə/

//ˈpækə// noun

"paca" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“paca” is uncommon English (frequency #81,671 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,671
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the large rodents of the genus Cuniculus (but see also its synonyms), native to Central America and South America, which have dark brown or black fur, a white or yellowish underbelly and row...

Corpus desk

Index EN-paca · paca · English

paca · rank #81,671 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,671
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH oxtail

Nearest frequency peer: oxtail (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Long-tail ranks near “paca”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “paca” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for paca
PropertyValue
Headwordpaca
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpækə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#81,671
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “paca” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pacafalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “oxtail” (#81,669), “padlocked” (#81,673), “Paiute” (#81,675). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “paca” is #81,671. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

paca is uncommon English at frequency #81,671 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpækə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of the large rodents of the genus Cuniculus (but see also its synonyms), native to Central America and South America, which have dark brown or black fur, a white or yellowish underbelly and row...".

paca doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Via Spanish paca and Portuguese paca, from Paraguayan Guarani paka. The correct English form is paca, spelled P-A-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the large rodents of the genus Cuniculus (but see also its synonyms), native to Central America and South America, which have dark brown or black fur, a white or yellowish underbelly and rows of white spots along the sides.

Etymology

Via Spanish paca and Portuguese paca, from Paraguayan Guarani paka.

Synonyms

gibnutlabbaroyal rat

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "paca"?
"paca" is spelled P-A-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpækə/.
What does "paca" mean?
As a noun, "paca" means: Any of the large rodents of the genus Cuniculus (but see also its synonyms), native to Central America and South America, which have dark brown or black fur, a white or yellowish underbelly and row...
How do you pronounce "paca"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paca" is /ˈpækə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "paca"?
Via Spanish paca and Portuguese paca, from Paraguayan Guarani paka. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list