mochuelo

[moˈt͡ʃwelo]

/[moˈt͡ʃwelo]/ noun

The verdict

“mochuelo” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #80,299 among 36,142 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,299
frequency rank, Spanish
36,142
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Athene noctua) Ave rapaz nocturna nativa del meridión europeo y el septentrión africano. Tiene la conformación típica de los estrígidos, con el cuerpo robusto, la cabeza grande y los ojos frontale...

Key facts for mochuelo
PropertyValue
Headwordmochuelo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[moˈt͡ʃwelo]
Letters8
Frequency rank#80,299
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mochuelo” 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). mochuelo lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

mochuelo is uncommon Spanish at frequency #80,299 among 36,142 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [moˈt͡ʃwelo]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "(Athene noctua) Ave rapaz nocturna nativa del meridión europeo y el septentrión africano. Tiene la conformación típica de los estrígidos, con el cuerpo robusto, la cabeza grande y los ojos frontale...".

No generated misspelling entries exist for mochuelo in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

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 mochuelo, spelled M-O-C-H-U-E-L-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Athene noctua) Ave rapaz nocturna nativa del meridión europeo y el septentrión africano. Tiene la conformación típica de los estrígidos, con el cuerpo robusto, la cabeza grande y los ojos frontales, de gran tamaño y color grisáceo-amarillento. El plumaje es pardo, con motas blancas, y líneas punteadas blancas recorriendo las alas.

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 "mochuelo"?
"mochuelo" is spelled M-O-C-H-U-E-L-O. The IPA pronunciation is [moˈt͡ʃwelo].
What does "mochuelo" mean?
As a noun, "mochuelo" means: (Athene noctua) Ave rapaz nocturna nativa del meridión europeo y el septentrión africano. Tiene la conformación típica de los estrígidos, con el cuerpo robusto, la cabeza grande y los ojos frontale...
How do you pronounce "mochuelo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mochuelo" is [moˈt͡ʃwelo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mochuelo" come from?
"mochuelo" 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 “mochuelo”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-O-C-H-U-E-L-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [moˈt͡ʃwelo] (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

Other uncommon Spanish words near this rank

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