bowman

/ˈbəʊmən/

//ˈbəʊmən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bowman” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,762. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,762
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A man who uses a bow; an archer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bowman · bowman · English

bowman · rank #15,762 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,762
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bounced

Nearest frequency peer: bounced (-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 “bowman”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bowman” 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).

bowman vs Bozeman
57% similar
bowman vs Bowen
50% similar
bowman vs bogan
67% similar

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

Key facts for bowman
PropertyValue
Headwordbowman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbəʊmən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,762
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bowman”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bowmanlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “bounced” (#15,761), “boredom” (#15,760), “brilliantly” (#15,764). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bowman” is #15,762. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around bowman (IPA /ˈbəʊmən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,762 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A man who uses a bow; an archer.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bowman, with forms such as "bbowman", "bomwan", and "bowamn". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Bozeman", "Bowen", "bogan", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English boweman, bouman, boughman, equivalent to bow + -man. The correct English form is bowman, spelled B-O-W-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A man who uses a bow; an archer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The whole londe ſhal fle, foꝛ the noyſe of the hoꝛſmen and bowmen: […]
  2. The walls are slitted with embrasures through which bowmen could fire, indicating that the belfry also served as a stronghold during border skirmishes.

Etymology

From Middle English boweman, bouman, boughman, equivalent to bow + -man.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbowman
  • bomwan
  • bowamn
  • bowmann
  • bowmman
  • bowmna
  • bowwman
  • bwoman
  • obwman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bowman - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbowman1bomwan2bowamn2bowmann1bowmman1bowmna2bowwman1bwoman2
Edit distance from "bowman"

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 "bowman"?
"bowman" is spelled B-O-W-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbəʊmən/.
What does "bowman" mean?
As a noun, "bowman" means: A man who uses a bow; an archer.
What words are commonly confused with "bowman"?
"bowman" is commonly confused with "Bozeman", "Bowen", "bogan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bowman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bowman" is /ˈbəʊmən/. 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 "bowman"?
From Middle English boweman, bouman, boughman, equivalent to bow + -man. 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 "bowman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

brunch#15,765Billie#15,758advert#15,741vortex#15,733

Similar misspelling depth

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

Anaheim9 variantstrimmed9 variantsDorset9 variantssummons9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list