horca

[ˈoɾka]

/[ˈoɾka]/ noun

The verdict

“horca” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #23,812 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#23,812
frequency rank, Spanish
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vara o palo cuyo extremo se bifurca en varias puntas.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

horca vs hoya
60% similar
horca vs horn
60% similar
horca vs Horno
40% similar

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

Key facts for horca
PropertyValue
Headwordhorca
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈoɾka]
Letters5
Frequency rank#23,812
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “horca” 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). horca lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for horca is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈoɾka]. Corpus data places it at rank #23,812 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for horca, with forms such as "hhorca", "hocra", and "horac". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hoya", "horn", "Horno", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Spanish form is horca, spelled H-O-R-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vara o palo cuyo extremo se bifurca en varias puntas.
  2. 2
    En particular, herramienta formada por un asta acabada en varias puntas, que se emplea para mover material suelto, como heno u hojarasca.
  3. 3
    Yugo en forma de horca₁ que se empleaba antiguamente para pasear públicamente a los vencidos en batalla o a los condenados a penas de escarnio.
  4. 4
    Dispositivo similar a una horca₃ que se coloca al cuello de los animales para impedirles pasar entre cercados.
  5. 5
    Estructura, antiguamente en forma de horca₁, que se emplea para ejecutar a los reos de pena de muerte colgándolos.
  6. 6
    Horca₁ con que se soporta un larguero horizontal o una rama de árbol.
  7. 7
    Parte saliente del hueso de la taba.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhorca,hocra,horac,horcca,horrca,hroca,ohrca

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of horca - 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.

hhorca1hocra2horac2horcca1horrca1hroca2ohrca2
Edit distance from "horca"

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 "horca"?
"horca" is spelled H-O-R-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈoɾka].
What does "horca" mean?
As a noun, "horca" means: Vara o palo cuyo extremo se bifurca en varias puntas.
What words are commonly confused with "horca"?
"horca" is commonly confused with "hoya", "horn", "Horno". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "horca"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "horca" is [ˈoɾka]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "horca" come from?
"horca" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “horca”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is H-O-R-C-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈoɾka] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hoya” - see the side-by-side comparison. horca vs hoya
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list