buffalo

/ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/

//ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“buffalo” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,663. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,663
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An animal from the subtribe Bubalina, also known as true buffalos, such as the Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, or the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-buffalo · buffalo · English

buffalo · rank #5,663 · 8 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,663
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH blank

Nearest frequency peer: blank (-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 “buffalo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “buffalo” 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
Key facts for buffalo
PropertyValue
Headwordbuffalo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,663
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “buffalo”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).buffalolands 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 “blank” (#5,662), “CBS” (#5,664), “binding” (#5,661). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “buffalo” is #5,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around buffalo (IPA /ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,663 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for buffalo, with forms such as "bbuffalo", "bfufalo", and "bufaflo". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is buffalo, spelled B-U-F-F-A-L-O.

Definition

  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
    A nickel.
  6. 6
    A looter during the Civil War.
  7. 7
    A large or stupid person.
  8. 8
    An obese person, usually a woman.
  9. 9
    A black male.
  10. 10
    Ellipsis of American buffalo (“gold bullion coin”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "It must be a very wild stretch of country, and full of big game. I have always wanted to kill a buffalo before I die."
  2. And on this board were frightful swords and knives that are made in a great cavern by swinking demons out of white flames that they fix in the horns of buffalos and stags that there abound marvellously.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

búfalo(Español)buffle(Français)Büffel(Deutsch)búfalo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbuffalo
  • bfufalo
  • bufaflo
  • bufalo
  • buffallo
  • buffaol
  • bufflao
  • ubffalo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of buffalo - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbuffalo1bfufalo2bufaflo2bufalo1buffallo1buffaol2bufflao2ubffalo2
Edit distance from "buffalo"

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 "buffalo"?
"buffalo" is spelled B-U-F-F-A-L-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/.
What does "buffalo" mean?
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.
What are common misspellings of "buffalo"?
Common misspellings include "bbuffalo", "bfufalo", "bufaflo", "bufalo", "buffallo". The correct spelling is "buffalo".
How do you pronounce "buffalo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "buffalo" is /ˈbʌf.əl.əʊ/. 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 "buffalo"?
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. 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 "buffalo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

binding#5,661commons#5,665corrupt#5,669wrapped#5,651

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

blank8 variantsWelsh8 variantsfarms8 variantsflows8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list