conga

/ˈkɒŋɡə/

//ˈkɒŋɡə// noun

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

"conga" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“conga” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,087. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,087
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban hand drum of African origin.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conga · conga · English

conga · rank #43,087 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,087
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH collapsible

Nearest frequency peer: collapsible (-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 “conga”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “conga” 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).

conga vs cons
60% similar
conga vs conn
60% similar
conga vs cont
60% similar

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

Key facts for conga
PropertyValue
Headwordconga
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒŋɡə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#43,087
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “conga”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).congalands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “collapsible” (#43,086), “cohabitation” (#43,085), “codec” (#43,084). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conga” is #43,087. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around conga (IPA /ˈkɒŋɡə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,087 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for conga, with forms such as "cconga", "cnoga", and "cogna". 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, "cons", "conn", "cont", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: For the dance: * Borrowed from Spanish Congo (“Congo dance”), so-called for being of sub-Saharan African origin. The correct English form is conga, spelled C-O-N-G-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban hand drum of African origin.
  2. 2
    A march of Cuban origin in four-four time in which people form a chain, each holding the hips of the person in front of them; in each bar, dancers take three shuffle steps and then kick alternate legs outwards at the beat; the chain weaves around the place and allows new participants to join the back of the chain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The conga dance, with its long line that might eventually sweep in everybody in the place, and the kick on the fourth beat and the fruited headdress that were to become her trademarks.

Etymology

For the dance: * Borrowed from Spanish Congo (“Congo dance”), so-called for being of sub-Saharan African origin.

This word in other languages

conga(Español)conga(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconga
  • cnoga
  • cogna
  • conag
  • congga
  • connga
  • ocnga

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of conga - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cconga1cnoga2cogna2conag2congga1connga1ocnga2
Edit distance from "conga"

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 "conga"?
"conga" is spelled C-O-N-G-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒŋɡə/.
What does "conga" mean?
As a noun, "conga" means: A tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban hand drum of African origin.
What words are commonly confused with "conga"?
"conga" is commonly confused with "cons", "conn", "cont". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conga"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conga" is /ˈkɒŋɡə/. 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 "conga"?
For the dance: * Borrowed from Spanish Congo (“Congo dance”), so-called for being of sub-Saharan African origin. 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 "conga", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

codec#43,084coyne#43,096daffy#43,102Darko#43,105

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

buttress7 variantsdicey7 variantsDivya7 variantsdulce7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list