charabanc
/ˈʃæ.ɹə.bæŋ(k)/noun, verb
charabanc is spelled C-H-A-R-A-B-A-N-C: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 42 million words in written English, the 199,120th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, charabanc means “A horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of charabanc is charabancs.
How many letters and syllables are in charabanc?
| Letters | 9: C-H-A-R-A-B-A-N-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 42 million words; the 199,120th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is charabanc?
Charabanc appears about once in every 42 million words in written English, the 199,120th 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 charabanc?
- UK /ˈʃæ.ɹə.bæŋ(k)/
Charabanc has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-charabanc.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of charabanc
- charabancs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- charabancing participle, present
- charabanced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does charabanc mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
UKA horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.
- 2
UKdatedA bus, especially one hired by groups for pleasure outings, what was later called a coach.
- 3
UKinformalA vehicle that is slow, overcrowded, or otherwise undesirable.
- 4
An elaborate production or endeavor involving many people or things.
verb
- 1
rareTo travel or convey by charabanc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Charabanc in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no :
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | char-à-bancs |
| Portuguese | charabã |
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 charabanc come from?
Borrowed from French char-à-bancs (literally “carriage with benches”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).