bandura

/bænˈdʊəɹə/

//bænˈdʊəɹə// noun

"bandura" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bandura” is uncommon English (frequency #78,388 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,388
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body, like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with both hands while held upright on the lap.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bandura · bandura · English

bandura · rank #78,388 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,388
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bamboozle

Nearest frequency peer: bamboozle (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “bandura”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bandura
PropertyValue
Headwordbandura
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bænˈdʊəɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#78,388
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bandura” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bandurafalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “bamboozle” (#78,387), “baseboard” (#78,390), “Battaglia” (#78,391). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bandura” is #78,388. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bandura is uncommon English at frequency #78,388 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bænˈdʊəɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body, like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with both hands while held upright on the lap.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for bandura in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ukrainian банду́ра (bandúra), possibly through Italian pandura and Polish bandura, from Late Latin pandura (“musical instrument with three strings”), from Ancient Greek πανδοῦρα (pandoûra, “three-stringed lute; zither”), perhaps from Lydian. The correct English form is bandura, spelled B-A-N-D-U-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body, like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with both hands while held upright on the lap.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He touches the strings and pours forth a song descriptive of his live, his wanderings, his anguish, and is discovered by the magic tones of the bandura, his adventures, above all, by his voice and passionate fire.
  2. The whole night passed amid shouts, songs, and rejoicings; and the rising moon gazed long at troops of musicians traversing the streets with bandouras, flutes, round balalaikas, and the church choir, who were kept in the Setch to sing in church and glorify the deeds of the Zaporozhtzi.

Etymology

Borrowed from Ukrainian банду́ра (bandúra), possibly through Italian pandura and Polish bandura, from Late Latin pandura (“musical instrument with three strings”), from Ancient Greek πανδοῦρα (pandoûra, “three-stringed lute; zither”), perhaps from Lydian.

This word in other languages

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 "bandura"?
"bandura" is spelled B-A-N-D-U-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /bænˈdʊəɹə/.
What does "bandura" mean?
As a noun, "bandura" means: A Ukrainian plucked stringed instrument with a tear-shaped body, like an asymmetrical lute or a vertical zither, which is played with both hands while held upright on the lap.
How do you pronounce "bandura"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bandura" is /bænˈdʊəɹə/. 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 "bandura"?
Borrowed from Ukrainian банду́ра (bandúra), possibly through Italian pandura and Polish bandura, from Late Latin pandura (“musical instrument with three strings”), from Ancient Greek πανδοῦρα (pandoûra, “three-stringed lute; zither”), perhaps from... 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 "bandura", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list