Ambon

name

"ambon" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An island of Moluccas, Indonesia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ambon · Ambon · English

Ambon · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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 Ambon
PropertyValue
HeadwordAmbon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Ambon” in English

Ambonfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English 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

Ambon is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Ambon has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Ultimately from Old Javanese Ambwan (“Ambon”), attested in the Nagarakṛtāgama, likely through Classical Malay and reinforced by modern Indonesian. Compare nearby names such as Fordata Yabun. See also Amboyna, ultimately from Portuguese, and likely from a si… The correct English form is Ambon, spelled A-M-B-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An island of Moluccas, Indonesia.
  2. 2
    A city, the provincial capital of Maluku, Indonesia.

Etymology

Ultimately from Old Javanese Ambwan (“Ambon”), attested in the Nagarakṛtāgama, likely through Classical Malay and reinforced by modern Indonesian. Compare nearby names such as Fordata Yabun. See also Amboyna, ultimately from Portuguese, and likely from a similar source.

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 "Ambon"?
"Ambon" is spelled A-M-B-O-N.
What does "Ambon" mean?
As a proper noun, "Ambon" means: An island of Moluccas, Indonesia.
What is the origin of the word "Ambon"?
Ultimately from Old Javanese Ambwan (“Ambon”), attested in the Nagarakṛtāgama, likely through Classical Malay and reinforced by modern Indonesian. Compare nearby names such as Fordata Yabun. See also Amboyna, ultimately from Portuguese, and likely... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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