bangs

/bæŋ(ɡ)z/

//bæŋ(ɡ)z// noun

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

"bangs" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bangs” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,960. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,960
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of bang

Corpus desk

Index EN-bangs · bangs · English

bangs · rank #15,960 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,960
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Avon

Nearest frequency peer: Avon (-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 “bangs”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bangs” 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).

bangs vs Bas
40% similar
bangs vs bank
60% similar
bangs vs bars
60% similar

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

Key facts for bangs
PropertyValue
Headwordbangs
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bæŋ(ɡ)z/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,960
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bangs”

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).bangslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Avon” (#15,959), “bashing” (#15,961), “avocado” (#15,958). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bangs” is #15,960. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around bangs (IPA /bæŋ(ɡ)z/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,960 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for bangs, with forms such as "abngs", "bagns", and "banggs". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Bas", "bank", "bars", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bang (“to cut [hair], dock [an animal's tail]”), probably from the sudden manner in which docked hair appears to burst out explosively when it's cut (i.e. "with a bang"). Ultimately from bang (“to strike noisily, explode”). The correct English form is bangs, spelled B-A-N-G-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of bang
  2. 2
    Hair hanging over the forehead.
  3. 3
    A hairstyle including such hair, especially cut straight across the forehead.

Etymology

From bang (“to cut [hair], dock [an animal's tail]”), probably from the sudden manner in which docked hair appears to burst out explosively when it's cut (i.e. "with a bang"). Ultimately from bang (“to strike noisily, explode”).

Synonyms

forelocksfringebangfringebang

This word in other languages

flequillo(Español)frange(Français)Pony(Deutsch)franja(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abngs
  • bagns
  • banggs
  • bangss
  • banngs
  • bansg
  • bbangs
  • bnags

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abngs2bagns2banggs1bangss1banngs1bansg2bbangs1bnags2
Edit distance from "bangs"

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 "bangs"?
"bangs" is spelled B-A-N-G-S. The IPA pronunciation is /bæŋ(ɡ)z/.
What does "bangs" mean?
As a noun, "bangs" means: plural of bang
What words are commonly confused with "bangs"?
"bangs" is commonly confused with "Bas", "bank", "bars". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bangs"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bangs" is /bæŋ(ɡ)z/. 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 "bangs"?
From bang (“to cut [hair], dock [an animal's tail]”), probably from the sudden manner in which docked hair appears to burst out explosively when it's cut (i.e. "with a bang"). Ultimately from bang (“to strike noisily, explode”). 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 "bangs", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Adele#15,947carts#15,976clamp#15,985clans#15,986

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

suffice8 variantsCrimea8 variantsstink8 variantsstalk8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list