Babylon

/ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn/

//ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn// name

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

"babylon" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Babylon” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,071 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#14,071
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Babylon vs ballon
57% similar
Babylon vs baboon
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Babylon
PropertyValue
HeadwordBabylon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,071
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Babylon” sits in English 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). Babylon 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 English entry for Babylon is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,071 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Babylon, with forms such as "abbylon", "babbylon", and "bablyon". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "ballon", "baboon", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Partially inherited from Old English Babilōn/Babȳlōn, partially from Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim, literally “Gate of God”); the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the Apocalypse… The correct English form is Babylon, spelled B-A-B-Y-L-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates.
  2. 2
    A governate in Iraq.
  3. 3
    Any city of great wealth, luxury and vice.
  4. 4
    Western civilization, seen as corrupt and materialistic, and contrasted with Zion.
  5. 5
    The police.
  6. 6
    An unincorporated community in Fulton County, Illinois, United States.
  7. 7
    A town and village therein, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States.
  8. 8
    A surname.

Etymology

Partially inherited from Old English Babilōn/Babȳlōn, partially from Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim, literally “Gate of God”); the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the Apocalypse. Doublet of Babel.

Synonyms

police

This word in other languages

Babilonia(Español)Babylone(Français)Babylon(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abbylon,babbylon,bablyon,babyllon,babylno,babylonn,babyoln,babyylon,bayblon,bbabylon,bbaylon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Babylon - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abbylon2babbylon1bablyon2babyllon1babylno2babylonn1babyoln2babyylon1
Edit distance from "Babylon"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Babylon"?
"Babylon" is spelled B-A-B-Y-L-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn/.
What does "Babylon" mean?
As a proper noun, "Babylon" means: An ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates.
What words are commonly confused with "Babylon"?
"Babylon" is commonly confused with "ballon", "baboon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Babylon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Babylon" is /ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Babylon"?
Partially inherited from Old English Babilōn/Babȳlōn, partially from Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim, literally “Gate of God”); the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the ... 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.

Using “Babylon”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-B-Y-L-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbæb.ɪ.lɒn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ballon” - see the side-by-side comparison. Babylon vs ballon
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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