koala

[koˈala]

/[koˈala]/ noun

The verdict

“koala” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #51,719 among 248 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,719
frequency rank, Spanish
248
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (Phascolarctos cinereus) Mamífero marsupial nativo de Australia, el último representante supérstite de la familia Phascolarctidae, de cuerpo robusto de hasta 15 kg de peso, cubierto de denso pelaje...

Corpus desk

Index ES-koala · koala · Spanish

koala · rank #51,719 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,719
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 248
  • PHOTO-FINISH kush

Nearest frequency peer: kush (+3 rank slots)

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.

Rangos de cola larga cerca de “koala”

Banda escasa: las barras invierten el rango para que lo raro se lea más corto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista de cola larga: dónde “koala” se sitúa frente a rangos españoles igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for koala
PropertyValue
Headwordkoala
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[koˈala]
Letters5
Frequency rank#51,719
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “koala” en español

Esta escala corre desde el núcleo del español cotidiano (izquierda) hasta el rastro de formas rara vez usadas (derecha).koalacae en esta cola de rareza:

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

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). Vecinos raros de la misma franja: “kush” (#51,722), “laborable” (#51,724), “juglar” (#51,713). Entre 248 lemas con “K”, “koala” va en #51,719. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

koala is uncommon Spanish at frequency #51,719 among 248 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [koˈala]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for koala in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Spanish patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is koala, spelled K-O-A-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Phascolarctos cinereus) Mamífero marsupial nativo de Australia, el último representante supérstite de la familia Phascolarctidae, de cuerpo robusto de hasta 15 kg de peso, cubierto de denso pelaje gris, y miembros cortos dotados de fuertes garras, incluyendo dos pulgares oponibles. Es arborícola y de metabolismo muy lento.
  2. 2
    Pequeño bolso que se ata a la altura de la cintura y se lleva por delante.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how koala appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. El koala, uno de los marsupiales de Australia, es perseguido por su piel.
  2. Un australiano podrá decirte con destemplanza que el koala, lejos de ser un osito de peluche, es un perezoso que duerme veinte horas a sus crías, que huele mal, que es violento y antipático, que se mea aposta en tus brazos.

Synonyms

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "koala"?
"koala" is spelled K-O-A-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is [koˈala].
What does "koala" mean?
As a noun, "koala" means: (Phascolarctos cinereus) Mamífero marsupial nativo de Australia, el último representante supérstite de la familia Phascolarctidae, de cuerpo robusto de hasta 15 kg de peso, cubierto de denso pelaje...
How do you pronounce "koala"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "koala" is [koˈala]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "koala" come from?
"koala" 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.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list