bung

/ˈbʌŋ/

//ˈbʌŋ// noun

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

"bung" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bung” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,104. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,104
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber, used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bung · bung · English

bung · rank #48,104 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,104
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Buell

Nearest frequency peer: Buell (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “bung”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bung” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bung vs but
50% similar
bung vs buy
50% similar
bung vs bus
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bung
PropertyValue
Headwordbung
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌŋ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#48,104
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bung” sits in English frequency

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).bunglands 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 “Buell” (#48,103), “burqa” (#48,107), “brut” (#48,100). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around bung (IPA /ˈbʌŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,104 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bung, with forms such as "bbung", "bnug", and "bugn". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "but", "buy", "bus", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Dutch bonge, bonne or bonghe (“stopper”), or perhaps from French bonde, which may itself be either of Germanic origin or from Proto-Celtic *bunda—either way probably from puncta (“hole”), the feminine singular form of Latin punctus, perfect pa… The correct English form is bung, spelled B-U-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber, used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc.
  2. 2
    The cecum or anus, especially of livestock.
  3. 3
    The human anus.
  4. 4
    A bribe.
  5. 5
    The orifice in the bilge of a cask through which it is filled; bung-hole.
  6. 6
    A sharper or pickpocket.
  7. 7
    The landlord of a public house.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With the heavy seas trying to broach the boat they baled — and eventually found someone had forgotten to put the bung in.
  2. Andre pulled the bung from the top of a barrel, applied a glass tube with a suction device, and withdrew a pale, almost greenish liquid.

Etymology

From Medieval Dutch bonge, bonne or bonghe (“stopper”), or perhaps from French bonde, which may itself be either of Germanic origin or from Proto-Celtic *bunda—either way probably from puncta (“hole”), the feminine singular form of Latin punctus, perfect passive participle of pungō (“pierce into, prick”).

This word in other languages

tapón(Español)bonde(Français)Stöpsel(Deutsch)batoque(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbung
  • bnug
  • bugn
  • bungg
  • bunng
  • ubng

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbung1bnug2bugn2bungg1bunng1ubng2
Edit distance from "bung"

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 "bung"?
"bung" is spelled B-U-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌŋ/.
What does "bung" mean?
As a noun, "bung" means: A stopper, alternative to a cork, often made of rubber, used to prevent fluid passing through the neck of a bottle, vat, a hole in a vessel etc.
What words are commonly confused with "bung"?
"bung" is commonly confused with "but", "buy", "bus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bung"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bung" is /ˈbʌŋ/. 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 "bung"?
From Medieval Dutch bonge, bonne or bonghe (“stopper”), or perhaps from French bonde, which may itself be either of Germanic origin or from Proto-Celtic *bunda—either way probably from puncta (“hole”), the feminine singular form of Latin punctus, ... 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 "bung", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brut#48,100appt#48,065yumi#48,030yoyo#48,029

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Bodie6 variantscates6 variantsAmaya6 variantsDionne6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "bung". Here's where to go from here.

  • "bung" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "but". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #48,104 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list