banjo

/ˈbæn.dʒəʊ/

//ˈbæn.dʒəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“banjo” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,292. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,292
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stringed musical instrument (chordophone), usually with a round body, a membrane-like soundboard and a fretted neck, played by plucking or strumming the strings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-banjo · banjo · English

banjo · rank #20,292 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,292
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH audacity

Nearest frequency peer: audacity (-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 “banjo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “banjo” 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).

banjo vs bao
60% similar
banjo vs bank
60% similar
banjo vs bans
60% similar

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

Key facts for banjo
PropertyValue
Headwordbanjo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæn.dʒəʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,292
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “banjo”

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).banjolands 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 “audacity” (#20,291), “barbaric” (#20,293), “barbed” (#20,294). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “banjo” is #20,292. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around banjo (IPA /ˈbæn.dʒəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,292 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for banjo, with forms such as "abnjo", "bajno", and "banjjo". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bao", "bank", "bans", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the pronunciation of African slaves, of unknown ultimate origin. Possibly a corruption of bandore (from Spanish bandurria), alternatively from a West African language such as Mandinka banjul, or Kimbundu mbanza. The correct English form is banjo, spelled B-A-N-J-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stringed musical instrument (chordophone), usually with a round body, a membrane-like soundboard and a fretted neck, played by plucking or strumming the strings.
  2. 2
    Any of various similar musical instruments, such as the Tuvan doshpuluur, with a membrane-like soundboard.
  3. 3
    An object shaped like a banjo, especially a frying pan or a shovel.
  4. 4
    A cul-de-sac with a round end.
  5. 5
    A miner's round-nosed shovel.
  6. 6
    An egg sandwich fried on a flattop and served in a bun as would a burger, ellipsis of egg banjo.
  7. 7
    The frenulum of the penis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee...
  2. For quotations using this term, see Citations:banjo.

Etymology

From the pronunciation of African slaves, of unknown ultimate origin. Possibly a corruption of bandore (from Spanish bandurria), alternatively from a West African language such as Mandinka banjul, or Kimbundu mbanza.

This word in other languages

banjo(Español)banjo(Français)Banjo(Deutsch)banjo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abnjo
  • bajno
  • banjjo
  • bannjo
  • banoj
  • bbanjo
  • bnajo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abnjo2bajno2banjjo1bannjo1banoj2bbanjo1bnajo2
Edit distance from "banjo"

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 "banjo"?
"banjo" is spelled B-A-N-J-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæn.dʒəʊ/.
What does "banjo" mean?
As a noun, "banjo" means: A stringed musical instrument (chordophone), usually with a round body, a membrane-like soundboard and a fretted neck, played by plucking or strumming the strings.
What words are commonly confused with "banjo"?
"banjo" is commonly confused with "bao", "bank", "bans". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "banjo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "banjo" is /ˈbæn.dʒəʊ/. 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 "banjo"?
From the pronunciation of African slaves, of unknown ultimate origin. Possibly a corruption of bandore (from Spanish bandurria), alternatively from a West African language such as Mandinka banjul, or Kimbundu mbanza. 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 "banjo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

beech#20,296Amish#20,284Aidan#20,282abort#20,277

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

whine7 variantswaller7 variantswaldo7 variantsDevin7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list