Bugis
/ˈbuːɡɪs/
"bugis" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Bugis” is uncommon English (frequency #96,813 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #96,813
- frequency rank, English
- 31,241
- “B” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A member of a people of southern Sulawesi.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Bugis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈbuːɡɪs/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #96,813 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Bugis” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Bugis is uncommon English at frequency #96,813 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈbuːɡɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Bugis, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Malay Bugis, from Makasar ᨅᨘᨁᨗᨔᨗ (Bugisi'), probably from Proto-South Sulawesi **Bugis or Buginese ᨓᨘᨁᨗ (Wugi'), ᨕᨘᨁᨗ (Ugi'), ᨕᨚᨁᨗ (Ogi') (a self-designation). Cognate with Mandar Bugis, Toraja-Sa'dan Bugi'. The correct English form is Bugis, spelled B-U-G-I-S.
Definition
- 1A member of a people of southern Sulawesi.
- 2The Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by these people.
- 3A district in central Singapore, around a street of the same name.
Etymology
From Malay Bugis, from Makasar ᨅᨘᨁᨗᨔᨗ (Bugisi'), probably from Proto-South Sulawesi **Bugis or Buginese ᨓᨘᨁᨗ (Wugi'), ᨕᨘᨁᨗ (Ugi'), ᨕᨚᨁᨗ (Ogi') (a self-designation). Cognate with Mandar Bugis, Toraja-Sa'dan Bugi'.
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 "Bugis"?
What does "Bugis" mean?
How do you pronounce "Bugis"?
What is the origin of the word "Bugis"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Bugis”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-U-G-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbuːɡɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.