mal de la vaca loca
[ˈmal̪ d̪e la ˈβ̞aka ˈloka]
The verdict
“mal de la vaca loca” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency Spanish
- 19
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Encefalopatía espongiforme bovina.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mal de la vaca loca |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | [ˈmal̪ d̪e la ˈβ̞aka ˈloka] |
| Letters | 19 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mal de la vaca loca” sits in Spanish frequency
Rare enough to double-check
mal de la vaca loca is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ˈmal̪ d̪e la ˈβ̞aka ˈloka]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Encefalopatía espongiforme bovina.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for mal de la vaca loca, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Spanish form is mal de la vaca loca, spelled M-A-L- -D-E- -L-A- -V-A-C-A- -L-O-C-A.
Definition
- 1Encefalopatía espongiforme bovina.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “mal de la vaca loca”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is M-A-L- -D-E- -L-A- -V-A-C-A- -L-O-C-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈmal̪ d̪e la ˈβ̞aka ˈloka] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.