bandit

/ˈbændɪt/

//ˈbændɪt// noun

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

"bandit" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bandit” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,764. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,764
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bandit · bandit · English

bandit · rank #17,764 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,764
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH barrister

Nearest frequency peer: barrister (+1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bandit”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bandit” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bandit vs bands
67% similar
bandit vs Bondi
50% similar
bandit vs bandy
67% similar

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

Key facts for bandit
PropertyValue
Headwordbandit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbændɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,764
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bandit”

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).banditlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “barrister” (#17,765), “arid” (#17,762), “bazaar” (#17,766). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bandit” is #17,764. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around bandit (IPA /ˈbændɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,764 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bandit, with forms such as "abndit", "badnit", and "banddit". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "bands", "Bondi", "bandy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”). Doubl… The correct English form is bandit, spelled B-A-N-D-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group.
  2. 2
    An outlaw.
  3. 3
    One who cheats others.
  4. 4
    An aircraft identified as an enemy, but distinct from "hostile" or "threat" in that it is not immediately to be engaged.
  5. 5
    A runner who covertly joins a race without having registered as a participant.
  6. 6
    Synonym of arse bandit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Do you recollect a story my nurse told us of a Sicilian bandit, the terror of the country?—how he saved a young child from a cottage on fire, brought it up delicately, and far removed from his own pursuits; while, at his execution, his chief regret was the future provision for that boy?

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

thiefcriminalfugitiveoutlawcheaterbanditbanditobrigandlatronrapparee

This word in other languages

bandido(Español)voleur(Français)Bandit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abndit
  • badnit
  • banddit
  • banditt
  • bandti
  • banidt
  • banndit
  • bbandit
  • bnadit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bandit - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abndit2badnit2banddit1banditt1bandti2banidt2banndit1bbandit1
Edit distance from "bandit"

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 "bandit"?
"bandit" is spelled B-A-N-D-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbændɪt/.
What does "bandit" mean?
As a noun, "bandit" means: One who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group.
What words are commonly confused with "bandit"?
"bandit" is commonly confused with "bands", "Bondi", "bandy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bandit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bandit" is /ˈbændɪt/. 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 "bandit"?
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 ba... 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 "bandit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bazaar#17,766Bianca#17,769annals#17,758brides#17,776

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

cigars9 variantscobalt9 variantscropped9 variantscurfew9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list