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buffalo

/ˈbʌf.ə.loʊ/noun, verb

buffalo is spelled B-U-F-F-A-L-O: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, buffalo means “An animal from the subtribe Bubalina, also known as true buffalos, such as the Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, or the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of buffalo is buffaloes or buffalos.

How many letters and syllables are in buffalo?

Letters7: B-U-F-F-A-L-O
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing14 times per million words; the 5,679th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is buffalo?

Buffalo appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce buffalo?

  • UK /ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/
  • US /ˈbʌf.ə.loʊ/

Buffalo has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-Buffalo.ogg, En-us-buffalo.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of buffalo

  • buffaloes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • buffalos plural
  • buffaloing participle, present
  • buffaloed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does buffalo mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    An animal from the subtribe Bubalina, also known as true buffalos, such as the Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, or the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis.

  2. 2

    A related North American animal, the American bison, Bison bison.

  3. 3

    Ellipsis of buffalo robe.

  4. 4

    The buffalo fish (Ictiobus spp.).

  5. 5

    USslangA nickel.

  6. 6

    USslangA looter during the Civil War.

  7. 7

    derogatoryslangA large or stupid person.

  8. 8

    derogatoryslangAn obese person, usually a woman.

verb

  1. 1

    To hunt buffalo.

  2. 2

    USslangTo outwit, confuse, deceive, or intimidate.

  3. 3

    archaicTo pistol-whip.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Buffalo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbuffle (bovid of the Bubalina subtribe), ictiobus (fish), chasser le buffle (hunt buffalo), être plus malin, confondre, intimider (outwit, confuse)
GermanBüffel, Wisent (bovid of the Bubalina subtribe)
Portuguesebúfalo (bovid of the Bubalina subtribe)
Spanishbúfalo (bovid of the Bubalina subtribe)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does buffalo come from?

Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish búfalo (“buffalo”), from Late Latin būfalus, from Latin būbalus, from Ancient Greek βούβαλος (boúbalos, “antelope, wild ox”). Doublet of bubale and buffle.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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