bobbin

noun

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

"bobbin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bobbin” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,572 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#51,572
frequency rank, English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

Key facts for bobbin
PropertyValue
Headwordbobbin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,572
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bobbin” sits in English frequency

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bobbin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #51,572 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for bobbin, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French bobine, recorded in English since 1530. The correct English form is bobbin, spelled B-O-B-B-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.
  2. 2
    In a sewing machine, the small spool that holds the lower thread.
  3. 3
    The little rounded piece of wood at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch.
  4. 4
    A fine cord or narrow braid.

Etymology

Borrowed from French bobine, recorded in English since 1530.

This word in other languages

bobina(Español)bobine(Français)Spule(Deutsch)carretel(Português)

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 "bobbin"?
"bobbin" is spelled B-O-B-B-I-N.
What does "bobbin" mean?
As a noun, "bobbin" means: A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.
What is the origin of the word "bobbin"?
Borrowed from French bobine, recorded in English since 1530. 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.

Using “bobbin”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-O-B-B-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list