bodacious

/boʊˈdeɪʃəs/

//boʊˈdeɪʃəs// adj

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

"bodacious" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bodacious” is uncommon English (frequency #73,916 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,916
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Audacious and unrestrained.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bodacious · bodacious · English

bodacious · rank #73,916 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,916
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Boda

Nearest frequency peer: Boda (-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 “bodacious”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bodacious
PropertyValue
Headwordbodacious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/boʊˈdeɪʃəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#73,916
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bodacious” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bodaciousfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Boda” (#73,915), “bogue” (#73,917), “Bluey” (#73,914). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bodacious” is #73,916. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bodacious is uncommon English at frequency #73,916 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /boʊˈdeɪʃəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for bodacious in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Southern American slang, implied by bodaciously, 1837, either from bodyaciously (“bodily, totally, root and branch”, antebellum South Carolina) or a blend of bold and audacious. The correct English form is bodacious, spelled B-O-D-A-C-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Audacious and unrestrained.
  2. 2
    Incorrigible and insolent.
  3. 3
    Impressively great in size, and enormous; extraordinary.
  4. 4
    Sexy, attractive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If you’re going to lie, you might as well tell a bodacious lie.
  2. 1898, Emma M. Bachus, “Tales of the Rabbit from Georgia Negroes” in Journal of American Folk-Lore (Vol 12, No 45), page 115. Google Book page link. Then that bodacious Brer Rabbit, he go softly through the bresh, and just creep inside that pig and lay hisself down, and he lay out to keep he eye open and watch out for the cart, but ’fore he know hisself he…

Etymology

Southern American slang, implied by bodaciously, 1837, either from bodyaciously (“bodily, totally, root and branch”, antebellum South Carolina) or a blend of bold and audacious.

This word in other languages

unverfroren(Deutsch)

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 "bodacious"?
"bodacious" is spelled B-O-D-A-C-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /boʊˈdeɪʃəs/.
What does "bodacious" mean?
As an adjective, "bodacious" means: Audacious and unrestrained.
How do you pronounce "bodacious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bodacious" is /boʊˈdeɪʃəs/. 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 "bodacious"?
Southern American slang, implied by bodaciously, 1837, either from bodyaciously (“bodily, totally, root and branch”, antebellum South Carolina) or a blend of bold and audacious. 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 "bodacious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

blackwall#73,909Beersheba#73,897Caldecott#73,941bantering#73,887

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list