bilingual

Name: bilingual, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/baɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/

//baɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“bilingual” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,475. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,475
frequency rank, English: 4,121
“B” headwords: 13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the ability to speak two languages fluently.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bilingual · bilingual · English

bilingual · rank #14,475 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #14,475
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 13 variants
BOOK-MID 4,121
PHOTO-FINISH Bermuda

Nearest frequency peer: Bermuda (-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.

ballroom

85,530
beginner

85,529
Bermuda

85,527
bilingual

85,526
bonded

85,524
Boyle

85,522

What this shows “bilingual” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for bilingual
Property	Value
Headword	bilingual
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/baɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#14,475
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bilingual”

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

#14,475

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Bermuda” (#14,474), “bonded” (#14,477), “beginner” (#14,472). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bilingual” is #14,475. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around bilingual (IPA /baɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,475 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for bilingual, with forms such as "bbilingual", "biilngual", and "bilignual". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin bilinguis + -al; equivalent to bi- + lingual. The correct English form is bilingual, spelled B-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L.

Definition

1
Having the ability to speak two languages fluently.
2
Spoken or written in two different languages.
3
Characterized by the use or presence of two languages.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

He thinks it's chic to have a bilingual wife.
Since she is bilingual she has them written in both English and Spanish.

Etymology

From Latin bilinguis + -al; equivalent to bi- + lingual.

Synonyms

two-tongued

This word in other languages

bilingüe(Español)bilingue(Français)zweisprachig(Deutsch)bilíngue(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

bbilingual
biilngual
bilignual
bilingaul
bilinggual
bilinguall
bilingula
bilinngual
bilinugal
billingual
bilnigual
bliingual
iblingual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bilingual - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "bilingual"

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 "bilingual"?

"bilingual" is spelled B-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /baɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/.

What does "bilingual" mean?

As an adjective, "bilingual" means: Having the ability to speak two languages fluently.

What are common misspellings of "bilingual"?

Common misspellings include "bbilingual", "biilngual", "bilignual", "bilingaul", "bilinggual". The correct spelling is "bilingual".

How do you pronounce "bilingual"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bilingual" is /baɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/. 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 "bilingual"?

From Latin bilinguis + -al; equivalent to bi- + lingual. 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 "bilingual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

alleviate#14,461 civilized#14,492 completes#14,494 Wilkinson#14,456

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

televised13 variants exercised13 variants Randolph13 variants hepatitis13 variants