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buzzard

/ˈbʌzɚd/noun

buzzard is spelled B-U-Z-Z-A-R-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, buzzard means “Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of buzzard is buzzards.

How many letters and syllables are in buzzard?

Letters7: B-U-Z-Z-A-R-D
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is buzzard?

Buzzard appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce buzzard?

  • UK /ˈbʌzəd/
  • US /ˈbʌzɚd/
  • Australia /ˈbɐzəd/

Buzzard has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-buzzard.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of buzzard

  • buzzards plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does buzzard mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.

  2. 2

    CanadaUSAny scavenging bird, such as the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus) or the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

  3. 3

    colloquialderogatoryslangIn North America, a curmudgeonly or cantankerous man; an old person; a mean, greedy person.

  4. 4

    archaicA blockhead; a dunce.

  5. 5

    Synonym of double bogey.

  6. 6

    USslangA fighter plane.

  7. 7

    USdatedslangThe insignia of a colonel, or a petty officer within the navy.

  8. 8

    USslangA military discharge (due to the military discharge certificate).

  9. 9

    A bastard.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Buzzard in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbuse, carencro (bird of the genus Buteo), sale bougre, sale bougresse (slang or derogatory term for a person)
GermanBussard (bird of the genus Buteo), alter Gauner, alte Gaunerin (slang or derogatory term for a person)
Portugueseáguia-de-asa-redonda, milhafre (bird of the genus Buteo)
Spanisháguila ratonera, ratonero común, busardo, aguilucho (bird of the genus Buteo)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does buzzard come from?

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”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after buzzard