# conga

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒŋɡə/ · frequency rank #43,087

## Definitions
1. A tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban hand drum of African origin.
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.

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

## Easily confused with
- **cons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cons)
- **conn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-conn)
- **cont** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cont)
- **Cora** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cora)
- **costa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-costa)
- **cough** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cough)
- **Congo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-congo)
- **Conor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-conor)
- **conte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-conte)
- **convo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-convo)
- **cotta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cotta)
- **corgi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-corgi)
- **Conrad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-conrad)
- **Conway** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-conway)
- **cougar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cougar)
- **cornea** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-cornea)
- **conman** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-conman)
- **Coogan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conga-vs-coogan)
- **con** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/con-vs-conga)
- **coa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coa-vs-conga)

## Common misspellings (7)
`cconga`, `cnoga`, `cogna`, `conag`, `congga`, `connga`, `ocnga`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/conga