bombard

/ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/

//ˈbɒmˌbɑːd// noun

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

"bombard" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bombard” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,713. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,713
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A medieval primitive cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bombard · bombard · English

bombard · rank #39,713 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,713
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH boing

Nearest frequency peer: boing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bombard”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bombard” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bombard vs bomber
71% similar
bombard vs Bombay
57% similar
bombard vs bombed
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bombard
PropertyValue
Headwordbombard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,713
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bombard”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bombardlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “boing” (#39,712), “bodega” (#39,711), “boars” (#39,710). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bombard” is #39,713. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around bombard (IPA /ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,713 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bombard, with forms such as "bbombard", "bmobard", and "bobmard". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "bomber", "Bombay", "bombed", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bombard, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard, mortar, catapult"; also "a bassoon-like musical instrument”), from Latin bombus (“buzzing; booming”). The modern pronunciation is from modern French bombarde. The correct English form is bombard, spelled B-O-M-B-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A medieval primitive cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls.
  2. 2
    A bassoon-like medieval musical instrument.
  3. 3
    A large liquor container made of leather, in the form of a jug or a bottle.
  4. 4
    A bombardment.
  5. 5
    A bombardon.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city, might break down the houses.
  2. […] yond same black cloud, yond huge one, / looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor.

Etymology

From Middle English bombard, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard, mortar, catapult"; also "a bassoon-like musical instrument”), from Latin bombus (“buzzing; booming”). The modern pronunciation is from modern French bombarde.

This word in other languages

bombarda(Español)bombarde(Français)Donnerbüchse(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbombard
  • bmobard
  • bobmard
  • bomabrd
  • bombadr
  • bombardd
  • bombarrd
  • bombbard
  • bombrad
  • bommbard
  • obmbard

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bombard - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbombard1bmobard2bobmard2bomabrd2bombadr2bombardd1bombarrd1bombbard1
Edit distance from "bombard"

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 "bombard"?
"bombard" is spelled B-O-M-B-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/.
What does "bombard" mean?
As a noun, "bombard" means: A medieval primitive cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls.
What words are commonly confused with "bombard"?
"bombard" is commonly confused with "bomber", "Bombay", "bombed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bombard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bombard" is /ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/. 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 "bombard"?
From Middle English bombard, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard, mortar, catapult"; also "a bassoon-like musical instrument”), from Latin bombus (“buzzing; booming”). The modern pronunciation is from modern French bombarde. 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 "bombard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bledsoe#39,709beseech#39,706Bernier#39,705baddies#39,691

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

chutney11 variantsConklin11 variantsCuyahoga11 variantsDorothea11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list