cucaracha

[kukaˈɾat͡ʃa]

/[kukaˈɾat͡ʃa]/ noun

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

The verdict

“cucaracha” has 13 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #20,323. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,323
frequency rank, Spanish
77,812
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Orden Blattodea) Cualquiera de varios miles de especies de insectos de cuerpo aplanado, caracterizados por largas patas espinosas, antenas filiformes, alas posteriores esclerotizadas y hábitos omn...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cucaracha vs cucarachas
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cucaracha
PropertyValue
Headwordcucaracha
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kukaˈɾat͡ʃa]
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,323
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cucaracha” sits in Spanish frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). cucaracha lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around cucaracha (IPA [kukaˈɾat͡ʃa]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,323 among 77,812 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "(Orden Blattodea) Cualquiera de varios miles de especies de insectos de cuerpo aplanado, caracterizados por largas patas espinosas, antenas filiformes, alas posteriores esclerotizadas y hábitos omn...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for cucaracha, with forms such as "ccuaracha", "ccucaracha", and "cuacracha". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "cucarachas", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is cucaracha, spelled C-U-C-A-R-A-C-H-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Orden Blattodea) Cualquiera de varios miles de especies de insectos de cuerpo aplanado, caracterizados por largas patas espinosas, antenas filiformes, alas posteriores esclerotizadas y hábitos omnívoros. Miden entre 3 y 65 mm, según la especie; algunas de las más extendidas son antropófilas, habitando en rincones húmedos o sucios de las viviendas humanas.

Synonyms

barata

This word in other languages

cockroach(English)blatte(Français)Schabe(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccuaracha
  • ccucaracha
  • cuacracha
  • cucaarcha
  • cucaracah
  • cucaraccha
  • cucarachha
  • cucarahca
  • cucarcaha
  • cucarracha
  • cuccaracha
  • cucraacha
  • uccaracha

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cucaracha - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccuaracha2ccucaracha1cuacracha2cucaarcha2cucaracah2cucaraccha1cucarachha1cucarahca2
Edit distance from "cucaracha"

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 "cucaracha"?
"cucaracha" is spelled C-U-C-A-R-A-C-H-A. The IPA pronunciation is [kukaˈɾat͡ʃa].
What does "cucaracha" mean?
As a noun, "cucaracha" means: (Orden Blattodea) Cualquiera de varios miles de especies de insectos de cuerpo aplanado, caracterizados por largas patas espinosas, antenas filiformes, alas posteriores esclerotizadas y hábitos omn...
What words are commonly confused with "cucaracha"?
"cucaracha" is commonly confused with "cucarachas". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cucaracha"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cucaracha" is [kukaˈɾat͡ʃa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cucaracha" come from?
"cucaracha" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “cucaracha”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is C-U-C-A-R-A-C-H-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kukaˈɾat͡ʃa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cucarachas” - see the side-by-side comparison. cucaracha vs cucarachas
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Same frequency band

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