alpaca

\al.pa.ka\

/\al.pa.ka\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Variante de alpaga (Vicugna pacos Linnaeus, 1758).

Corpus desk

Index FR-alpaca · alpaca · French

alpaca · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for alpaca
PropertyValue
Headwordalpaca
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\al.pa.ka\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « alpaca » en français

alpacasiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

alpaca is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \al.pa.ka\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Variante de alpaga (Vicugna pacos Linnaeus, 1758).".

Zero misspellings are on record for alpaca in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is alpaca, spelled A-L-P-A-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Variante de alpaga (Vicugna pacos Linnaeus, 1758).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how alpaca appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. La toison de l’alpaca est formée de poils laineux d’une grande finesse et atteignant parfois trente centimètres de longueur, et de poils soyeux sur les parties rases du corps.
  2. On appelle wari le croisement de l’alpaca et du lama.

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 "alpaca"?
"alpaca" is spelled A-L-P-A-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is \al.pa.ka\.
What does "alpaca" mean?
As a noun, "alpaca" means: Variante de alpaga (Vicugna pacos Linnaeus, 1758).
How do you pronounce "alpaca"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alpaca" is \al.pa.ka\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "alpaca" come from?
"alpaca" is a French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list