boob
/ˈbuːb/
"boob" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“boob” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,852 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #16,852
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 3
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An idiot; a fool.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | boob |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbuːb/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #16,852 |
| Misspellings tracked | 3 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “boob” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for boob is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbuːb/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,852 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for boob, with forms such as "bboob", "boobb", and "obob". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "boy", "box", "bro", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Clipped form of booby (“fool”). Appeared near the beginning of the twentieth century; more information at booby § Etymology 1. The correct English form is boob, spelled B-O-O-B.
Definition
- 1An idiot; a fool.
- 2A mistake.
Etymology
Clipped form of booby (“fool”). Appeared near the beginning of the twentieth century; more information at booby § Etymology 1.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bboob,boobb,obob
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of boob - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "boob"?
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Using “boob”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-O-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbuːb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “boy” - see the side-by-side comparison. boob vs boy
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.