bumblebee

/ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː/

//ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː// noun

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

"bumblebee" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bumblebee” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,889. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,889
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several species of large bee in the genus Bombus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bumblebee · bumblebee · English

bumblebee · rank #31,889 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,889
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bugle

Nearest frequency peer: bugle (-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 “bumblebee”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bumblebee” 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 bumblebee
PropertyValue
Headwordbumblebee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː/
Letters9
Frequency rank#31,889
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bumblebee”

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).bumblebeelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “bugle” (#31,888), “Burch” (#31,890), “buffering” (#31,887). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bumblebee” is #31,889. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around bumblebee (IPA /ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,889 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for bumblebee, with forms such as "bbumblebee", "bmublebee", and "bubmlebee". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1520s from bumble + bee, replacing Middle English humbul-be. Merged with Middle English bombeln (“to boom, buzz”), in the late 14th century. The name of the drink is a semantic loan from Ukrainian джміль (džmilʹ). The correct English form is bumblebee, spelled B-U-M-B-L-E-B-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several species of large bee in the genus Bombus.
  2. 2
    A mid yellow, sometimes slightly orange.
  3. 3
    A layered drink with ice whose main ingredients are orange juice and espresso coffee.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The bumblebee's mane glowed in the morning light—each hair sharp and distinct to Eragon—and its blurred wings generated a gentle bombilation, like a tattoo played on a drum. Pollen powdered the bristles on its legs.

Etymology

1520s from bumble + bee, replacing Middle English humbul-be. Merged with Middle English bombeln (“to boom, buzz”), in the late 14th century. The name of the drink is a semantic loan from Ukrainian джміль (džmilʹ).

This word in other languages

abejorro(Español)bourdon(Français)Hummel(Deutsch)mamangaba(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbumblebee
  • bmublebee
  • bubmlebee
  • bumbblebee
  • bumbelbee
  • bumblbeee
  • bumblebbee
  • bumblebe
  • bumbleebe
  • bumbllebee
  • bumlbebee
  • bummblebee
  • ubmblebee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bumblebee - 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.

bbumblebee1bmublebee2bubmlebee2bumbblebee1bumbelbee2bumblbeee2bumblebbee1bumblebe1
Edit distance from "bumblebee"

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 "bumblebee"?
"bumblebee" is spelled B-U-M-B-L-E-B-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː/.
What does "bumblebee" mean?
As a noun, "bumblebee" means: Any of several species of large bee in the genus Bombus.
What are common misspellings of "bumblebee"?
Common misspellings include "bbumblebee", "bmublebee", "bubmlebee", "bumbblebee", "bumbelbee". The correct spelling is "bumblebee".
How do you pronounce "bumblebee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bumblebee" is /ˈbʌmbəlˌbiː/. 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 "bumblebee"?
1520s from bumble + bee, replacing Middle English humbul-be. Merged with Middle English bombeln (“to boom, buzz”), in the late 14th century. The name of the drink is a semantic loan from Ukrainian джміль (džmilʹ). 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 "bumblebee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

buffering#31,887brotherly#31,886Callaghan#31,897bookshelf#31,880

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Bharatiya13 variantscausality13 variantsattentions13 variantsconcealer13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list