bandana
ban·dan·a/bænˈdæn.ə/noun
bandana is spelled B-A-N-D-A-N-A: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ban·dan·a). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bandana means “A large kerchief, usually colourful and used either as headgear or as a handkerchief, neckerchief, bikini, or sweatband” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bandana is bandanas.
How many letters and syllables are in bandana?
| Letters | 7: B-A-N-D-A-N-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ban·dan·a |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is bandana?
Bandana appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bandana?
- US /bænˈdæn.ə/
Bandana has 3 syllables, split ban·dan·a in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bandana.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-bandanna.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bandana?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bandana from its last stressed vowel (/ænə/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of bandana
- bandanas plural
- bandanna
- bandanno
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bandana mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A large kerchief, usually colourful and used either as headgear or as a handkerchief, neckerchief, bikini, or sweatband.
- 2
A style of calico printing, in which white or bright spots are produced upon cloth previously dyed a uniform red or dark colour, by discharging portions of the color by chemical means, while the rest of the cloth is under pressure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bandana in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense large kerchief:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Piratenkopftuch, Piratentuch, Halstuch, Kopftuch |
| Portuguese | bandana |
| Spanish | pañoleta, pañuelo, paliacate, toquilla, fular |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bandana come from?
Borrowed from Hindi बंधन (bandhan, “the act of binding, a bond”), from Sanskrit बध्नाति (badhnāti, “he binds”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind, bond”). Related to Hindi बाँधना (bāndhnā, “to tie”). Doublet of bind.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).