bento

/ˈbɛntəʊ/

//ˈbɛntəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bento” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,526. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,526
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 Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box, often with the food arranged into an elaborate design.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bento · bento · English

bento · rank #41,526 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,526
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bayside

Nearest frequency peer: bayside (-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 “bento”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bento” 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).

bento vs bet
60% similar
bento vs best
60% similar
bento vs beta
60% similar

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

Key facts for bento
PropertyValue
Headwordbento
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɛntəʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#41,526
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bento”

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).bentolands 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 “bayside” (#41,525), “Berber” (#41,527), “bards” (#41,524). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bento” is #41,526. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around bento (IPA /ˈbɛntəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,526 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bento, with forms such as "bbento", "bennto", and "benot". 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, "bet", "best", "beta", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 弁(べん)当(とう) (bentō). Doublet of biandang. The correct English form is bento, spelled B-E-N-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box, often with the food arranged into an elaborate design.
  2. 2
    Synonym of bento box (“a partitioned, traditionally lacquered, lunchbox in which a Japanese takeaway lunch is served”).
  3. 3
    A generic meal packed in a disposable bento box.
  4. 4
    A menu icon of nine squares in a grid.
  5. 5
    A layout consisting of cards arranged in a modular, irregularly partitioned grid.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Typical Singaporean lunch bento wolved down in 5 minutes

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 弁(べん)当(とう) (bentō). Doublet of biandang.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbento
  • bennto
  • benot
  • bentto
  • betno
  • bneto
  • ebnto

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbento1bennto1benot2bentto1betno2bneto2ebnto2
Edit distance from "bento"

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 "bento"?
"bento" is spelled B-E-N-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛntəʊ/.
What does "bento" mean?
As a noun, "bento" means: A Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box, often with the food arranged into an elaborate design.
What words are commonly confused with "bento"?
"bento" is commonly confused with "bet", "best", "beta". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bento"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bento" is /ˈbɛntəʊ/. 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 "bento"?
Borrowed from Japanese 弁(べん)当(とう) (bentō). Doublet of biandang. 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 "bento", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bards#41,524balmy#41,521Bowes#41,534Aslan#41,516

Similar misspelling depth

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

caked7 variantsAllman7 variantsYeezy7 variantsWiles7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list