Bombay

/bɒmˈbeɪ/

//bɒmˈbeɪ// name

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

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

The verdict

“Bombay” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,011. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,011
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The former name of Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra, India.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bombay · Bombay · English

Bombay · rank #12,011 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,011
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bolton

Nearest frequency peer: Bolton (-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 “Bombay”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Bombay” 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).

Bombay vs bombs
50% similar
Bombay vs booby
50% similar
Bombay vs bomber
50% similar

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

Key facts for Bombay
PropertyValue
HeadwordBombay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/bɒmˈbeɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,011
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Bombay”

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).Bombaylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Bolton” (#12,010), “booze” (#12,012), “blackberry” (#12,009). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “Bombay” is #12,011. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Bombay (IPA /bɒmˈbeɪ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #12,011 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Bombay, with forms such as "bbombay", "bmobay", and "bobmay". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "bombs", "booby", "bomber", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Portuguese Bombaim, possibly from Marathi मुंबादेवी (mumbādevī, “goddess Mumba”) or from bom + baim. Most likely a combination of both. The correct English form is Bombay, spelled B-O-M-B-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The former name of Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra, India.
  2. 2
    A locality in the Queanbeyan-Palerang council area, south eastern New South Wales, Australia.
  3. 3
    A settlement south of Auckland, New Zealand.
  4. 4
    A town in Franklin County, New York, United States.
  5. 5
    A neighbourhood (Little Bombay) of Marion, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Have you heard any word Of that bloke in the "Third" - Was it Sotherby, Sedgewick or Sim? They had him chucked out of a club in Bombay. But apart from his mess bills exceeding his pay, He took to pig-sticking in quite the wrong way. I wonder what happened to him?

Etymology

From Portuguese Bombaim, possibly from Marathi मुंबादेवी (mumbādevī, “goddess Mumba”) or from bom + baim. Most likely a combination of both.

This word in other languages

Bombay(Español)Bombay(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbombay
  • bmobay
  • bobmay
  • bomaby
  • bombayy
  • bombbay
  • bombya
  • bommbay
  • obmbay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Bombay - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbombay1bmobay2bobmay2bomaby2bombayy1bombbay1bombya2bommbay1
Edit distance from "Bombay"

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 "Bombay"?
"Bombay" is spelled B-O-M-B-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /bɒmˈbeɪ/.
What does "Bombay" mean?
As a proper noun, "Bombay" means: The former name of Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra, India.
What words are commonly confused with "Bombay"?
"Bombay" is commonly confused with "bombs", "booby", "bomber". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Bombay"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Bombay" is /bɒmˈbeɪ/. 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 "Bombay"?
From Portuguese Bombaim, possibly from Marathi मुंबादेवी (mumbādevī, “goddess Mumba”) or from bom + baim. Most likely a combination of both. 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 "Bombay", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Bolton#12,010bamboo#12,007artery#12,006Warsaw#11,996

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Brennan9 variantsbuzzing9 variantscaliber9 variantssuppress9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list