bedpan
/ˈbɛdˌpæn/noun
bedpan is spelled B-E-D-P-A-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 117,098th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bedpan means “A pan used for urination and defecation while in bed, now usually for reasons of medical necessity or convenience” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bedpan is bedpans.
How many letters and syllables are in bedpan?
| Letters | 6: B-E-D-P-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 15 million words; the 117,098th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bedpan?
Bedpan appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 117,098th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bedpan?
- /ˈbɛdˌpæn/
Bedpan has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bedpan.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bedpan
- bedpans plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bedpan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A pan used for urination and defecation while in bed, now usually for reasons of medical necessity or convenience.
The nurse emptied the patient's bedpan each morning.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bedpan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense chamber pot used while still in bed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bassin hygiénique |
| German | Steckbecken, Stechbecken, Ente Schieber, Bettschüssel, Bettpfanne |
| Portuguese | comadre, papagaio |
| Spanish | cuña, galanga, chata, pato, tiorba, gallo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bedpan come from?
From bed + pan ("chamber pot").
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).