backgammon

/ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/

//ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən// noun

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

"backgammon" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“backgammon” is uncommon English (frequency #55,934 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,934
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to move all of one's pieces around, and bear ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-backgammon · backgammon · English

backgammon · rank #55,934 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,934
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH avast

Nearest frequency peer: avast (-4 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “backgammon”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “backgammon” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for backgammon
PropertyValue
Headwordbackgammon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#55,934
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “backgammon” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).backgammonfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “avast” (#55,930), “bapu” (#55,938), “Audley” (#55,929). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “backgammon” is #55,934. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

backgammon is uncommon English at frequency #55,934 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

backgammon has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from back + Middle English gamen, from Old English gamen (“amusement, game”). The correct English form is backgammon, spelled B-A-C-K-G-A-M-M-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to move all of one's pieces around, and bear them off the board.
  2. 2
    A victory in the game when the loser has not borne off a stone, and still has one or more stones in the winner's inner home row or on the bar.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. "I have borrowed Mrs. Palmer's backgammon-board," said Isabella, whose notion of an elderly gentleman's amusements of an evening was derived from what she had seen Mr. Palmer do.

Etymology

Probably from back + Middle English gamen, from Old English gamen (“amusement, game”).

This word in other languages

backgammon(Español)backgammon(Français)Backgammon(Deutsch)gamão(Português)

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 "backgammon"?
"backgammon" is spelled B-A-C-K-G-A-M-M-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/.
What does "backgammon" mean?
As a noun, "backgammon" means: A board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to move all of one's pieces around, and bear ...
How do you pronounce "backgammon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "backgammon" is /ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/. 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 "backgammon"?
Probably from back + Middle English gamen, from Old English gamen (“amusement, game”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "backgammon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

audiophile#55,928Bolshevism#55,966brandywine#55,972Accrington#55,890

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list