modus operandi
[ˈmoð̞us opeˈɾãn̪d̪i]
The verdict
“modus operandi” is outside the top-ranked Spanish vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency Spanish
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Manera habitual de proceder de una persona o de un grupo de personas. Usado especialmente por la policía e investigadores para describir la conducta de un reo.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | modus operandi |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | [ˈmoð̞us opeˈɾãn̪d̪i] |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “modus operandi” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for modus operandi is 14 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈmoð̞us opeˈɾãn̪d̪i]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Manera habitual de proceder de una persona o de un grupo de personas. Usado especialmente por la policía e investigadores para describir la conducta de un reo.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for modus operandi, a sign its spelling follows regular Spanish conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is modus operandi, spelled M-O-D-U-S- -O-P-E-R-A-N-D-I.
Definition
- 1Manera habitual de proceder de una persona o de un grupo de personas. Usado especialmente por la policía e investigadores para describir la conducta de un reo.
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
How do you spell "modus operandi"?
What does "modus operandi" mean?
How do you pronounce "modus operandi"?
What language does "modus operandi" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “modus operandi”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is M-O-D-U-S- -O-P-E-R-A-N-D-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈmoð̞us opeˈɾãn̪d̪i] (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.