bacalao
[bakaˈlao]
The verdict
“bacalao” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #23,316 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,316
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Gadus morhua) Pez de la familia de los gádidos, natural de las aguas frías del hemisferio norte, de hasta 2 m de largo y color pardo o verduzco, con una clara línea lateral. Es muy apreciado en ga...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bacalao |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [bakaˈlao] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #23,316 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bacalao” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for bacalao is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [bakaˈlao]. Corpus data places it at rank #23,316 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for bacalao, with forms such as "abcalao", "baaclao", and "bacaalo". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is bacalao, spelled B-A-C-A-L-A-O.
Definition
- 1(Gadus morhua) Pez de la familia de los gádidos, natural de las aguas frías del hemisferio norte, de hasta 2 m de largo y color pardo o verduzco, con una clara línea lateral. Es muy apreciado en gastronomía.
- 2Por extensión, varios gádidos apreciados como alimento, y usualmente tratados en salazón al igual que el bacalao₁, entre ellos el abadejo y el carbonero.
- 3Carne de estos peces, fresca o seca, usada como alimento.
- 4Género de música electrónica surgido en España en la década de 1980.
- 5Se dice a las personas flacas o muy delgadas.^([cita requerida]).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: abcalao,baaclao,bacaalo,bacallao,bacaloa,baccalao,baclaao,bbacalao,bcaalao,vacalao
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bacalao - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "bacalao"?
What does "bacalao" mean?
What are common misspellings of "bacalao"?
How do you pronounce "bacalao"?
What language does "bacalao" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “bacalao”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is B-A-C-A-L-A-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [bakaˈlao] (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.