larva

[ˈlaɾβ̞a]

/[ˈlaɾβ̞a]/ noun

The verdict

“larva” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #32,738 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#32,738
frequency rank, Spanish
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fase juvenil en el desarrollo de los animales con desarrollo indirecto (metamorfosis).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

larva vs lata
60% similar
larva vs lava
80% similar
larva vs lira
60% similar

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

Key facts for larva
PropertyValue
Headwordlarva
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈlaɾβ̞a]
Letters5
Frequency rank#32,738
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “larva” 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). larva 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 larva is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈlaɾβ̞a]. Corpus data places it at rank #32,738 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Fase juvenil en el desarrollo de los animales con desarrollo indirecto (metamorfosis).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for larva, with forms such as "alrva", "larav", and "larba". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lata", "lava", "lira", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is larva, spelled L-A-R-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fase juvenil en el desarrollo de los animales con desarrollo indirecto (metamorfosis).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: alrva,larav,larba,larrva,larvva,llarva,lrava

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of larva - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

alrva2larav2larba1larrva1larvva1llarva1lrava2
Edit distance from "larva"

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 "larva"?
"larva" is spelled L-A-R-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlaɾβ̞a].
What does "larva" mean?
As a noun, "larva" means: Fase juvenil en el desarrollo de los animales con desarrollo indirecto (metamorfosis).
What words are commonly confused with "larva"?
"larva" is commonly confused with "lata", "lava", "lira". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "larva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "larva" is [ˈlaɾβ̞a]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "larva" come from?
"larva" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “larva”

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

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