# booby

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbuːbi/ · frequency rank #29,563

## Definitions
1. A stupid person.
2. Any of various large tropical seabirds from the genera Sula and Papasula in the family Sulidae, traditionally considered to be stupid.
3. In the game of croquet, a ball that has not passed through the first wicket.

## Etymology
17th century. From Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus (“stammering”).
(bird): Compare typologically Translingual Morus, German Tölpel, Polish głuptak (akin to głupek), Russian о́луша (óluša) (akin to о́лух (ólux)).

## Easily confused with
- **boy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boy)
- **book** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-book)
- **boom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boom)
- **boot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boot)
- **boon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boon)
- **boos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boos)
- **buoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-buoy)
- **boop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boop)
- **boxy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boxy)
- **books** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-books)
- **boost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boost)
- **boots** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boots)
- **booth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-booth)
- **booze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-booze)
- **booty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-booty)
- **Boone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-boone)
- **brody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-brody)
- **booed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-booed)
- **booms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-booms)
- **bossy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/booby-vs-bossy)

## Common misspellings (6)
`bbooby`, `boboy`, `boobby`, `boobyy`, `booyb`, `oboby`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/booby