Bongo

[ˈbɔŋɡo]

/[ˈbɔŋɡo]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Bongo” is an uncommon German word, ranked #62,260 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#62,260
frequency rank, German
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - kubanisches Musikinstrument, bestehend aus zwei kleinen Trommeln

Key facts for Bongo
PropertyValue
HeadwordBongo
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈbɔŋɡo]
Letters5
Frequency rank#62,260
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Bongo” sits in German 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). Bongo lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Bongo is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈbɔŋɡo]. Corpus data places it at rank #62,260 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "kubanisches Musikinstrument, bestehend aus zwei kleinen Trommeln".

No misspelling variants are generated for Bongo in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Bongo, spelled B-O-N-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    kubanisches Musikinstrument, bestehend aus zwei kleinen Trommeln

This word in other languages

bongo(English)bongó(Español)bongo(Français)

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Bongo"?
"Bongo" is spelled B-O-N-G-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈbɔŋɡo].
What does "Bongo" mean?
As a noun, "Bongo" means: kubanisches Musikinstrument, bestehend aus zwei kleinen Trommeln
How do you pronounce "Bongo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Bongo" is [ˈbɔŋɡo]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Bongo" come from?
"Bongo" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “Bongo”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is B-O-N-G-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈbɔŋɡo] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list