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bobo

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

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "bobo", 4-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 "bobo" 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 "bobo" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

bobo is aEnglishnoun. It means: A materialistic person who affects an anti-materialistic persona. Pronounced /ˈboʊboʊ/. Often confused with boy and box.

Key facts for bobo
PropertyValue
Headwordbobo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈboʊboʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#28,469
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

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

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bobo is 4 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈboʊboʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,469 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 4 documented wrong-spelling variants for bobo, with forms such as "bbobo", "bboo", and "bobbo". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "boy", "box", "bro", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of bourgeois + bohemian, popularized by American journalist, commentator and editor David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie. 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 bobo, spelled B-O-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 materialistic person who affects an anti-materialistic persona.
  2. 2
    A self-styled bodyguard or groupie of the nouveau riche (such as a professional athlete or musician).
  3. 3
    An imitation of something, particularly a well known product, usually lower in quality than the original.

Etymology

Blend of bourgeois + bohemian, popularized by American journalist, commentator and editor David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbobo,bboo,bobbo,obbo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for bobo

Misspelling Variants of "bobo"

bbobo5bboo4bobbo5obbo4
Misspelling Variants of "bobo"

Frequency rank: #28,469 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bobo"?
"bobo" is spelled B-O-B-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈboʊboʊ/.
What does "bobo" mean?
As a noun, "bobo" means: A materialistic person who affects an anti-materialistic persona.
What words are commonly confused with "bobo"?
"bobo" is commonly confused with "boy", "box", "bro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bobo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bobo" is /ˈboʊboʊ/. 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 "bobo"?
Blend of bourgeois + bohemian, popularized by American journalist, commentator and editor David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie. 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.