bodhisattva

/boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə/

//boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə// noun

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

"bodhisattva" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bodhisattva” is uncommon English (frequency #52,188 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,188
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who has taken specific lay or monastic vows and who is on the road to perfect knowledge; specifically, one who foregoes personal nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bodhisattva · bodhisattva · English

bodhisattva · rank #52,188 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,188
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 31,241
  • PHOTO-FINISH boilerplate

Nearest frequency peer: boilerplate (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “bodhisattva”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bodhisattva” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for bodhisattva
PropertyValue
Headwordbodhisattva
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə/
Letters11
Frequency rank#52,188
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bodhisattva” 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). bodhisattva lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

bodhisattva is uncommon English at frequency #52,188 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for bodhisattva in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Sanskrit बोधिसत्त्व (bodhisattva, “enlightened existence”). The correct English form is bodhisattva, spelled B-O-D-H-I-S-A-T-T-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who has taken specific lay or monastic vows and who is on the road to perfect knowledge; specifically, one who foregoes personal nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment.
  2. 2
    An enlightened being existing in a form of existence beyond the ordinary forms of physical reality understood and acknowledged by scientific thought, resembling the Western notion of angels, but with a wealth of its own nuances and expectations. These include the compassionate working for enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit बोधिसत्त्व (bodhisattva, “enlightened existence”).

Synonyms

mahasattva

This word in other languages

bodhisattva(Français)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bodhisattva"?
"bodhisattva" is spelled B-O-D-H-I-S-A-T-T-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə/.
What does "bodhisattva" mean?
As a noun, "bodhisattva" means: A person who has taken specific lay or monastic vows and who is on the road to perfect knowledge; specifically, one who foregoes personal nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment.
How do you pronounce "bodhisattva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bodhisattva" is /boʊ̯diːˈsʌtvə/. 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 "bodhisattva"?
Borrowed from Sanskrit बोधिसत्त्व (bodhisattva, “enlightened existence”). 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 "bodhisattva", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

boilerplate#52,189attentively#52,160commutative#52,230angiography#52,145
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