billion
/ˈbɪljən/
"billion" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“billion” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,811 in English word frequency and used as a numeral.
- #1,811
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Either of two large amounts:
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | billion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Numeral |
| IPA | /ˈbɪljən/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #1,811 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “billion” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for billion is 7 letters long, classified as a numeral, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɪljən/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,811 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Either of two large amounts:
- 2Either of two large amounts:
- 3An unspecified very large number.
Etymology
From French billion, equivalent to bi- (“two”) + -illion.
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “billion”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-I-L-L-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɪljən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “bullion” - see the side-by-side comparison. billion vs bullion
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.