loco

[ˈloko]

/[ˈloko]/ adj

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

The verdict

“loco” is in the everyday core of Spanish, ranked #972 in Spanish word frequency and used as an adjective.

#972
frequency rank, Spanish
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Que no está en su sano juicio, que se comporta de forma irracional.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

loco vs los
50% similar
loco vs low
50% similar
loco vs Lou
25% similar

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

Key facts for loco
PropertyValue
Headwordloco
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈloko]
Letters4
Frequency rank#972
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “loco” 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). loco 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 loco is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈloko]. Corpus data places it at rank #972 in overall Spanish word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for loco, with forms such as "lcoo", "lloco", and "locco". 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, "los", "low", "Lou", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, 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 loco, spelled L-O-C-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Que no está en su sano juicio, que se comporta de forma irracional.
  2. 2
    Que se comporta de forma imprudente e irresponsable.
  3. 3
    Se dice de cualquier aparato que no funciona correctamente.
  4. 4
    Se dice de algo inesperada o asombrosamente grande.
  5. 5
    Se dice de un sentimiento muy intenso o de la persona que lo padece.
  6. 6
    Se dice de la vida, ritmo de vida o actividades agitadas y muy intensas.
  7. 7
    Dicho de la vegetación, que crece de forma sana y muy abundante.
  8. 8
    Se dice de cosas mecánicas que por motivos diversos giran o se mueven sin control o impredeciblemente.
  9. 9
    Se emplea como forma de dirigirse a alguien, por enojo, fastidio o camaradería.
  10. 10
    Dicho de una persona, que padece de algún trastorno mental (esquizofrenia, oligofrenia, trastorno bipolar, mal de Alzheimer e incluso trastornos del espectro autista).

Synonyms

alocadoatolondradoimprudentedesatinadotontoinsensatodisparatadoneciotarambanaexuberantepujantevicioso

Antonyms

cuerdomoderadorazonablesensato

This word in other languages

crazy(English)fou(Français)töricht(Deutsch)louco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lcoo,lloco,locco,looc,olco

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lcoo2lloco1locco1looc2olco2
Edit distance from "loco"

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 "loco"?
"loco" is spelled L-O-C-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈloko].
What does "loco" mean?
As an adjective, "loco" means: Que no está en su sano juicio, que se comporta de forma irracional.
What words are commonly confused with "loco"?
"loco" is commonly confused with "los", "low", "Lou". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "loco"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loco" is [ˈloko]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "loco" come from?
"loco" 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 “loco”

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

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