English Word Reference Free

bikini

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "bikini", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "bikini" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "bikini" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

bikini is aEnglishnoun. It means: A brief two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel. Pronounced /bɪˈkiː.ni/. Often confused with biting and Birkin.

Key facts for bikini
PropertyValue
Headwordbikini
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɪˈkiː.ni/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,172
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of bikini in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bikini is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɪˈkiː.ni/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,172 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for bikini, with forms such as "bbikini", "biikni", and "bikiin". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "biting", "Birkin", "baking", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Marshallese pik Marshallese ni Marshallese Pikinnibor. German Bikinibor. English Bikinibor. French Bikini French bikinibor. English bikini From French bikini, named after the place name Bikini, from English Bikini, the name of the atoll where… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is bikini, spelled B-I-K-I-N-I, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A brief two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel.
  2. 2
    A brief bathing suit covering only the pelvis (equivalent to the bottom portion of a two-piece bikini), worn by any gender.
  3. 3
    Brief underpants or trousers that reach to the hips rather than the waist.

Etymology

Etymology tree Marshallese pik Marshallese ni Marshallese Pikinnibor. German Bikinibor. English Bikinibor. French Bikini French bikinibor. English bikini From French bikini, named after the place name Bikini, from English Bikini, the name of the atoll where the United States tested nuclear weapons in July 1946; it was reckoned that the bathing suit would cause as much excitement as a nuclear bomb. This name was originally from German Bikini, the colonial name of the atoll as part of German New Guinea, and this was derived from Marshallese Pikinni.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbikini,biikni,bikiin,bikinni,bikkini,biknii,bkiini,ibkini

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for bikini

Misspelling Variants of "bikini"

bbikini7biikni6bikiin6bikinni7bikkini7biknii6bkiini6ibkini6
Misspelling Variants of "bikini"

Frequency rank: #11,172 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bikini"?
"bikini" is spelled B-I-K-I-N-I. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈkiː.ni/.
What does "bikini" mean?
As a noun, "bikini" means: A brief two-piece bathing suit worn by women, especially one that exposes the midriff and navel.
What words are commonly confused with "bikini"?
"bikini" is commonly confused with "biting", "Birkin", "baking". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bikini"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bikini" is /bɪˈkiː.ni/. 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 "bikini"?
Etymology tree Marshallese pik Marshallese ni Marshallese Pikinnibor. German Bikinibor. English Bikinibor. French Bikini French bikinibor. English bikini From French bikini, named after the place name Bikini, from English Bikini, the name of the a... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter B in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.