bonjour

[bɔ̃.ʒuʁ]

/[bɔ̃.ʒuʁ]/ intj

The verdict

“bonjour” is uncommon German (frequency #53,552 among 72,680 “B” headwords), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,552
frequency rank, German
72,680
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - guten Morgen, guten Tag

Key facts for bonjour
PropertyValue
Headwordbonjour
LanguageGerman
Part of speechInterjection
IPA[bɔ̃.ʒuʁ]
Letters7
Frequency rank#53,552
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bonjour” 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). bonjour 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

bonjour is uncommon German at frequency #53,552 among 72,680 “B” headwords, classed as aninterjection, transcribed [bɔ̃.ʒuʁ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "guten Morgen, guten Tag".

Zero misspellings are on record for bonjour in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is bonjour, spelled B-O-N-J-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    guten Morgen, guten Tag

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 "bonjour"?
"bonjour" is spelled B-O-N-J-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is [bɔ̃.ʒuʁ].
What does "bonjour" mean?
As an interjection, "bonjour" means: guten Morgen, guten Tag
How do you pronounce "bonjour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bonjour" is [bɔ̃.ʒuʁ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bonjour" come from?
"bonjour" is a German 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.

Using “bonjour”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is B-O-N-J-O-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [bɔ̃.ʒuʁ] (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

Other uncommon German 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