bemusement

/bəˈmjuːzmənt/

//bəˈmjuːzmənt// noun

"bemusement" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bemusement” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being bemused.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bemusement · bemusement · English

bemusement · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for bemusement
PropertyValue
Headwordbemusement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bəˈmjuːzmənt/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bemusement” in English

bemusementfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bemusement is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /bəˈmjuːzmənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The state of being bemused.".

bemusement doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bemuse + -ment. The correct English form is bemusement, spelled B-E-M-U-S-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being bemused.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wrex touches his grandfather's armor, his expression… thoughtful, perhaps? Krogan are hard to read. Then he shakes off his bemusement and grips his gun with renewed purpose.
  2. The response to this latest scandal has taken a familiar turn, dividing along gender lines. While senior women have condemned it, many of the Financial Times’ (male) readers have expressed unhappy bemusement at finding this article on the front page.

Etymology

From bemuse + -ment.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bemusement"?
"bemusement" is spelled B-E-M-U-S-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /bəˈmjuːzmənt/.
What does "bemusement" mean?
As a noun, "bemusement" means: The state of being bemused.
How do you pronounce "bemusement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bemusement" is /bəˈmjuːzmənt/. 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 "bemusement"?
From bemuse + -ment. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list