billion

/ˈbɪljən/

//ˈbɪljən// num

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

"billion" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“billion” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,811. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,811
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Either of two large amounts:

Corpus desk

Index EN-billion · billion · English

billion · rank #1,811 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,811
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH believed

Nearest frequency peer: believed (-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 “billion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “billion” 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).

billion vs bullion
86% similar
billion vs billions
88% similar
billion vs Billie
57% similar

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

Key facts for billion
PropertyValue
Headwordbillion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNumeral
IPA/ˈbɪljən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,811
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “billion”

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).billionlands 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 “believed” (#1,810), “busy” (#1,812), “beauty” (#1,809). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “billion” is #1,811. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around billion (IPA /ˈbɪljən/), anumeral. Corpus frequency is #1,811 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for billion, with forms such as "bbillion", "bililon", and "bilion". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "bullion", "billions", "Billie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French billion, equivalent to bi- (“two”) + -illion. The correct English form is billion, spelled B-I-L-L-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of two large amounts:
  2. 2
    Either of two large amounts:
  3. 3
    An unspecified very large number.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At the last assessment it [the national debt] amounts to seven billion pounds (£7,000,000,000).
  2. In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.

Etymology

From French billion, equivalent to bi- (“two”) + -illion.

This word in other languages

millardo(Español)milliard(Français)Milliarde(Deutsch)bilhão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbillion
  • bililon
  • bilion
  • billino
  • billionn
  • billoin
  • blilion
  • ibllion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of billion - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbillion1bililon2bilion1billino2billionn1billoin2blilion2ibllion2
Edit distance from "billion"

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 "billion"?
"billion" is spelled B-I-L-L-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪljən/.
What does "billion" mean?
As a numeral, "billion" means: Either of two large amounts:
What words are commonly confused with "billion"?
"billion" is commonly confused with "bullion", "billions", "Billie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "billion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "billion" is /ˈbɪljən/. 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 "billion"?
From French billion, equivalent to bi- (“two”) + -illion. 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 "billion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vehicle#1,805they've#1,803develop#1,820request#1,801

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

beauty8 variantsvolume8 variantsturns8 variantsstick8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list