poco a poco

[ˈpoko a ˈpoko]

/[ˈpoko a ˈpoko]/ phrase

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

The verdict

“poco a poco” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - De manera gradual y constante, por etapas.

Key facts for poco a poco
PropertyValue
Headwordpoco a poco
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˈpoko a ˈpoko]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poco a poco” sits in Spanish frequency

poco a poco falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Spanish words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

poco a poco is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ˈpoko a ˈpoko]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "De manera gradual y constante, por etapas.".

Zero misspellings are on record for poco a poco in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 poco a poco, spelled P-O-C-O- -A- -P-O-C-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    De manera gradual y constante, por etapas.

Synonyms

de a pocogradualmentepaso a pasopaulatinamenteprogresivamente

This word in other languages

little by little(English)petit à petit(Français)nach und nach(Deutsch)

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 "poco a poco"?
"poco a poco" is spelled P-O-C-O- -A- -P-O-C-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpoko a ˈpoko].
What does "poco a poco" mean?
As a phrase, "poco a poco" means: De manera gradual y constante, por etapas.
How do you pronounce "poco a poco"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poco a poco" is [ˈpoko a ˈpoko]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "poco a poco" come from?
"poco a poco" 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 “poco a poco”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is P-O-C-O- -A- -P-O-C-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈpoko a ˈpoko] (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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list