bobbin

noun

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

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

The verdict

“bobbin” is uncommon English (frequency #51,572 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,572
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bobbin · bobbin · English

bobbin · rank #51,572 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,572
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Boaz

Nearest frequency peer: Boaz (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “bobbin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bobbin” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bobbin
PropertyValue
Headwordbobbin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,572
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bobbin” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Boaz” (#51,571), “BOGO” (#51,573), “BLT” (#51,570). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bobbin” is #51,572. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bobbin is uncommon English at frequency #51,572 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ignition coils using a bobbin molded from high-performance polyester withstand open-circuit bench tests to 70kV.
  2. Wind the bobbin, place it in the machine, and raise the thread.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bobbin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bolden#51,574Bexley#51,565Bellas#51,564banque#51,559

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list