bus

/bʌs/

//bʌs// noun

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

"bus" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bus” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,554 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,554
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bus vs by
33% similar
bus vs BW
0% similar
bus vs BX
0% similar

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

Key facts for bus
PropertyValue
Headwordbus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bʌs/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,554
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bus” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bus lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bus is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bʌs/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,554 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

bus has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "BW", "BX", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep-der. Proto-Italic *opnis Latin omnis Latin omnibuslbor. French omnibusbor. English omnibusclip. English bus Clipping of omnibus. Superseded earlier 'bus, where the apostrophe indicated a clipping. The shift in spelli… The correct English form is bus, spelled B-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.
  2. 2
    A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.
  3. 3
    Any motorized vehicle, such as a motorbike or car.
  4. 4
    An electrical conductor or interface serving as a common connection for two or more circuits or components.
  5. 5
    Part of a MIRV missile, having on-board motors used to deliver the warhead to a target.
  6. 6
    An ambulance.
  7. 7
    An aeroplane.
  8. 8
    A network topology with each computer connected to a single cable.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep-der. Proto-Italic *opnis Latin omnis Latin omnibuslbor. French omnibusbor. English omnibusclip. English bus Clipping of omnibus. Superseded earlier 'bus, where the apostrophe indicated a clipping. The shift in spelling likely reflects the fact that modern speakers no longer perceive this term as a clipping. The electrical sense is derived from figurative application of the automotive sense.

This word in other languages

autobús(Español)autobus(Français)Bus(Deutsch)ônibus(Português)

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 "bus"?
"bus" is spelled B-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /bʌs/.
What does "bus" mean?
As a noun, "bus" means: A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.
What words are commonly confused with "bus"?
"bus" is commonly confused with "by", "BW", "BX". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bus" is /bʌs/. 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 "bus"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep-der. Proto-Italic *opnis Latin omnis Latin omnibuslbor. French omnibusbor. English omnibusclip. English bus Clipping of omnibus. Superseded earlier 'bus, where the apostrophe indicated a clipping. The shift... 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.

Using “bus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bʌs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “by” - see the side-by-side comparison. bus vs by
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list