baka

/ˈbɑːkə/

//ˈbɑːkə// noun

"baka" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“baka” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,633 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#44,633
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An evil spirit in Haitian belief, often in the form of an animal.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

baka vs bar
50% similar
baka vs bay
50% similar
baka vs ban
50% similar

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

Key facts for baka
PropertyValue
Headwordbaka
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɑːkə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#44,633
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “baka” 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). baka 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 baka is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɑːkə/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,633 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An evil spirit in Haitian belief, often in the form of an animal.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for baka, with forms such as "abka", "baak", and "bakka". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bar", "bay", "ban", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is baka, spelled B-A-K-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evil spirit in Haitian belief, often in the form of an animal.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abka,baak,bakka,bbaka,bkaa

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of baka - 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.

abka2baak2bakka1bbaka1bkaa2
Edit distance from "baka"

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 "baka"?
"baka" is spelled B-A-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɑːkə/.
What does "baka" mean?
As a noun, "baka" means: An evil spirit in Haitian belief, often in the form of an animal.
What words are commonly confused with "baka"?
"baka" is commonly confused with "bar", "bay", "ban". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "baka"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "baka" is /ˈbɑːkə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "baka" come from?
"baka" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “baka”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-K-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɑːkə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bar” - see the side-by-side comparison. baka vs bar
  • 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