bantam

/ˈbæntəm/

//ˈbæntəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bantam” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,332. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,332
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several small chickens, especially of a breed that is a miniature version of another breed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bantam · bantam · English

bantam · rank #37,332 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,332
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bacchus

Nearest frequency peer: Bacchus (-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 “bantam”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bantam” 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).

bantam vs Bantu
50% similar
bantam vs banter
67% similar
bantam vs bonham
67% similar

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

Key facts for bantam
PropertyValue
Headwordbantam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæntəm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,332
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bantam”

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).bantamlands 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 “Bacchus” (#37,331), “barked” (#37,333), “barrack” (#37,334). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bantam” is #37,332. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around bantam (IPA /ˈbæntəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,332 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bantam, with forms such as "abntam", "banatm", and "banntam". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Bantu", "banter", "bonham", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch Bantam (Banten province in Java). The correct English form is bantam, spelled B-A-N-T-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several small chickens, especially of a breed that is a miniature version of another breed.
  2. 2
    A competitor in an age division between peewee and midget.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. From the dairy we passed into the poultry-yard; and there I was introduced to a train of milk-white turkeys, and fowls of the same colour, a few bantams, and three galenies, Mrs. Helen's especial favourites, […]

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch Bantam (Banten province in Java).

This word in other languages

minime(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abntam
  • banatm
  • banntam
  • bantamm
  • bantma
  • banttam
  • batnam
  • bbantam
  • bnatam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bantam - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abntam2banatm2banntam1bantamm1bantma2banttam1batnam2bbantam1
Edit distance from "bantam"

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 "bantam"?
"bantam" is spelled B-A-N-T-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæntəm/.
What does "bantam" mean?
As a noun, "bantam" means: Any of several small chickens, especially of a breed that is a miniature version of another breed.
What words are commonly confused with "bantam"?
"bantam" is commonly confused with "Bantu", "banter", "bonham". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bantam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bantam" is /ˈbæntəm/. 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 "bantam"?
Borrowed from Dutch Bantam (Banten province in Java). 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 "bantam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

barked#37,333aureus#37,328belive#37,337bellow#37,338

Similar misspelling depth

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

Bacchus9 variantsauguste9 variantsBhopal9 variantsbonham9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list