bedbug

/ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ/

//ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bedbug” is uncommon English (frequency #77,450 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,450
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small nocturnal insect pest of humans, of species Cimex lectularius (common bedbug) and Cimex hemipterus (tropical bedbug) that feeds on the blood of humans during sleep.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bedbug · bedbug · English

bedbug · rank #77,450 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,450
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH beaucoup

Nearest frequency peer: beaucoup (-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 “bedbug”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bedbug
PropertyValue
Headwordbedbug
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#77,450
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bedbug” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bedbugfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “beaucoup” (#77,449), “Behan” (#77,451), “Bercow” (#77,453). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bedbug” is #77,450. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bedbug is uncommon English at frequency #77,450 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for bedbug in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bed + bug. The correct English form is bedbug, spelled B-E-D-B-U-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small nocturnal insect pest of humans, of species Cimex lectularius (common bedbug) and Cimex hemipterus (tropical bedbug) that feeds on the blood of humans during sleep.
  2. 2
    Any similar insect of family Cimicidae, that feeds on the blood of humans and certain other warm-blooded animals.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fiona rapidly discovered that the hotel was infested with bedbugs.
  2. In Morocco, love philtres are composed of yolk of egg and bedbugs.

Etymology

From bed + bug.

This word in other languages

chinche(Español)punaise(Français)Wanze(Deutsch)percevejo(Português)

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 "bedbug"?
"bedbug" is spelled B-E-D-B-U-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ/.
What does "bedbug" mean?
As a noun, "bedbug" means: A small nocturnal insect pest of humans, of species Cimex lectularius (common bedbug) and Cimex hemipterus (tropical bedbug) that feeds on the blood of humans during sleep.
How do you pronounce "bedbug"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bedbug" is /ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ/. 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 "bedbug"?
From bed + bug. 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 "bedbug", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Bercow#77,453Bethan#77,454barras#77,443budged#77,486

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list