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bimbo

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

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "bimbo", 5-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 "bimbo" 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 "bimbo" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

bimbo is aEnglishnoun. It means: A physically attractive person, typically a woman or otherwise feminine in appearance, who lacks intelligence. Pronounced /ˈbɪmbəʊ/. Often confused with bio and bomb.

Key facts for bimbo
PropertyValue
Headwordbimbo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɪmbəʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,952
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

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

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bimbo is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɪmbəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,952 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for bimbo, with forms such as "bbimbo", "bibmo", and "bimbbo". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "bio", "bomb", "bobo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian bimbo (“a child, a male baby”), variant of bambino (“child”). Originated in Italian American theater, attested 1919, as “stupid, inconsequential man”, by 1920 developed sense of “floozie, attractive and stupid woman”. Popularized in 1920s by Ja… 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 bimbo, spelled B-I-M-B-O, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A physically attractive person, typically a woman or otherwise feminine in appearance, who lacks intelligence.
  2. 2
    A stupid or foolish person.

Etymology

From Italian bimbo (“a child, a male baby”), variant of bambino (“child”). Originated in Italian American theater, attested 1919, as “stupid, inconsequential man”, by 1920 developed sense of “floozie, attractive and stupid woman”. Popularized in 1920s by Jack Conway of entertainment magazine Variety, who also popularized baloney (“nonsense”) and palooka (“large stupid man”). Revived in popularity in 1980s US political sex scandals.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbimbo,bibmo,bimbbo,bimmbo,bimob,bmibo,ibmbo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for bimbo

Misspelling Variants of "bimbo"

bbimbo6bibmo5bimbbo6bimmbo6bimob5bmibo5ibmbo5
Misspelling Variants of "bimbo"

Frequency rank: #33,952 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bimbo"?
"bimbo" is spelled B-I-M-B-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪmbəʊ/.
What does "bimbo" mean?
As a noun, "bimbo" means: A physically attractive person, typically a woman or otherwise feminine in appearance, who lacks intelligence.
What words are commonly confused with "bimbo"?
"bimbo" is commonly confused with "bio", "bomb", "bobo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bimbo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bimbo" is /ˈbɪmbəʊ/. 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 "bimbo"?
From Italian bimbo (“a child, a male baby”), variant of bambino (“child”). Originated in Italian American theater, attested 1919, as “stupid, inconsequential man”, by 1920 developed sense of “floozie, attractive and stupid woman”. Popularized in 1... 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:

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