# buffoon

> English word · Noun · IPA /bəˈfuːn/ · frequency rank #36,905

## Definitions
1. One who performs in a silly or ridiculous fashion; a clown or fool.
2. An unintentionally ridiculous person.

## Etymology
From Middle French bouffon, from Italian buffone (“jester”), from buffare (“to puff out the cheeks”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle High German buffen ("to puff"; > German büffen), Old English pyffan (“to breathe out, blow with the mouth”). More at English puff.

## Easily confused with
- **buffon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/buffon-vs-buffoon)

## Common misspellings (7)
`bbuffoon`, `bfufoon`, `buffono`, `buffoonn`, `bufofon`, `bufoon`, `ubffoon`

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