bandit
/ˈbændɪt/noun, verb
bandit is spelled B-A-N-D-I-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bandit means “One who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bandit is bandits; Wiktionary also lists banditti (archaic).
How many letters and syllables are in bandit?
| Letters | 6: B-A-N-D-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bandit?
Bandit appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 bandit?
- /ˈbændɪt/
Bandit has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-bandit.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bandit
- bandits plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- banditing participle, present
- bandited participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bandit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group.
- 2
An outlaw.
- 3
One who cheats others.
- 4
An aircraft identified as an enemy, but distinct from "hostile" or "threat" in that it is not immediately to be engaged.
- 5
slangA runner who covertly joins a race without having registered as a participant.
- 6
UKdatedderogatoryslangSynonym of arse bandit.
verb
- 1
To rob, or steal from, in the manner of a bandit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bandit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | voleur, voleuse, bandit, bandite , hors-la-loi |
| German | Bandit, Banditin |
| Portuguese | ladrão , fora da lei, fora de lei, bandido , trapaceiro |
| Spanish | bandido, bandida, bandolero , forajido |
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 bandit come from?
Borrowed from Italian bandito (“outlawed”), a derivative of Italian bandire (“to ban”), from Late Latin bandīre, an alteration (due to Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bandwjan, “to signal”)) of Late Latin bannīre (“to ban”), from Frankish *bannan (“to ban”). Doublet of bandito.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).