buzzard

/ˈbʌzəɹd/

//ˈbʌzəɹd// noun

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

"buzzard" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“buzzard” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,642. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,642
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.

Corpus desk

Index EN-buzzard · buzzard · English

buzzard · rank #35,642 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,642
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Butterfield

Nearest frequency peer: Butterfield (-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 “buzzard”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “buzzard” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

buzzard vs buzzer
71% similar
buzzard vs buzzed
71% similar
buzzard vs buzzword
75% similar

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

Key facts for buzzard
PropertyValue
Headwordbuzzard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌzəɹd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,642
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “buzzard”

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).buzzardlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Butterfield” (#35,641), “bygone” (#35,643), “buss” (#35,640). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “buzzard” is #35,642. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around buzzard (IPA /ˈbʌzəɹd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,642 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for buzzard, with forms such as "bbuzzard", "buzard", and "buzazrd". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "buzzer", "buzzed", "buzzword", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”). The correct English form is buzzard, spelled B-U-Z-Z-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.
  2. 2
    Any scavenging bird, such as the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus) or the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).
  3. 3
    In North America, a curmudgeonly or cantankerous man; an old person; a mean, greedy person.
  4. 4
    A blockhead; a dunce.
  5. 5
    Synonym of double bogey.
  6. 6
    A fighter plane.
  7. 7
    The insignia of a colonel, or a petty officer within the navy.
  8. 8
    A military discharge (due to the military discharge certificate).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Perhaps the crusty old buzzard loved his only child more than anyone had given him credit for all these years — maybe even more than he himself had realized.
  2. 1640, George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum; or, Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, etc., in The Remains of that Sweet Singer of the Temple George Herbert, London: Pickering, 1841, p. 142, An old man’s shadow is better than a young buzzard’s sword.

Etymology

From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”).

Synonyms

buteobroadwingturkey vulturevulture

This word in other languages

aguilucho(Español)buse(Français)Bussard(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbuzzard
  • buzard
  • buzazrd
  • buzzadr
  • buzzardd
  • buzzarrd
  • buzzrad
  • bzuzard
  • ubzzard

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of buzzard - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbuzzard1buzard1buzazrd2buzzadr2buzzardd1buzzarrd1buzzrad2bzuzard2
Edit distance from "buzzard"

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 "buzzard"?
"buzzard" is spelled B-U-Z-Z-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌzəɹd/.
What does "buzzard" mean?
As a noun, "buzzard" means: Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.
What words are commonly confused with "buzzard"?
"buzzard" is commonly confused with "buzzer", "buzzed", "buzzword". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "buzzard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "buzzard" is /ˈbʌzəɹd/. 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 "buzzard"?
From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”). 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 "buzzard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

carbine#35,646bitumen#35,634Bendigo#35,631belting#35,630

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

bygone9 variantsBraden9 variantsBorges9 variantsBoland9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list