bourbon

/ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən/

//ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bourbon” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,924. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,924
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A whiskey distilled in the United States from a mixture of grains in which at least 51% is corn, aged in charred, new oak barrels.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bourbon · bourbon · English

bourbon · rank #12,924 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,924
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bouncing

Nearest frequency peer: bouncing (-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 “bourbon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bourbon” 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).

bourbon vs Burton
57% similar
bourbon vs boron
71% similar
bourbon vs Boulton
57% similar

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

Key facts for bourbon
PropertyValue
Headwordbourbon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,924
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bourbon”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bourbonlands 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 “bouncing” (#12,923), “breaker” (#12,925), “bloc” (#12,922). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bourbon” is #12,924. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around bourbon (IPA /ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,924 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for bourbon, with forms such as "bbourbon", "borubon", and "boubron". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Burton", "boron", "Boulton", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bourbon whiskey, originally Bourbon whiskey, of disputed provenance. Generally taken to derive from Bourbon County, Kentucky, but possibly also from Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both derive from the French Bourbon dynasty, named for the lo… The correct English form is bourbon, spelled B-O-U-R-B-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A whiskey distilled in the United States from a mixture of grains in which at least 51% is corn, aged in charred, new oak barrels.
  2. 2
    A serving of bourbon whiskey.
  3. 3
    A Bourbon biscuit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It concerns the gnomelike quality of the average American at a party. I have been to many parties where staid American business men have been transformed by a few ryes or bourbons into unpredictable gremlins out for adventure.

Etymology

From bourbon whiskey, originally Bourbon whiskey, of disputed provenance. Generally taken to derive from Bourbon County, Kentucky, but possibly also from Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both derive from the French Bourbon dynasty, named for the lordship of French Bourbon l'Archambault. The town's name derives from Borvo, a local Celtic deity associated with hot springs, from Proto-Celtic *borvo (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to be hot, boil”). See also Borvo.

Synonyms

bourbon and branchbourbon creamBourbon whiskeybourbon whiskey

This word in other languages

bourbon(Français)Bourbon(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbourbon
  • borubon
  • boubron
  • bourbbon
  • bourbno
  • bourbonn
  • bourobn
  • bourrbon
  • buorbon
  • oburbon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbourbon1borubon2boubron2bourbbon1bourbno2bourbonn1bourobn2bourrbon1
Edit distance from "bourbon"

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 "bourbon"?
"bourbon" is spelled B-O-U-R-B-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən/.
What does "bourbon" mean?
As a noun, "bourbon" means: A whiskey distilled in the United States from a mixture of grains in which at least 51% is corn, aged in charred, new oak barrels.
What words are commonly confused with "bourbon"?
"bourbon" is commonly confused with "Burton", "boron", "Boulton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bourbon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bourbon" is /ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən/. 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 "bourbon"?
From bourbon whiskey, originally Bourbon whiskey, of disputed provenance. Generally taken to derive from Bourbon County, Kentucky, but possibly also from Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both derive from the French Bourbon dynasty, named ... 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 "bourbon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

breaker#12,925Bedford#12,914allergy#12,905cockpit#12,943

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

careless10 variantsadapter10 variantscrypto10 variantsdebated10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list