contraband
/ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/
"contraband" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contraband” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,713 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,713
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any goods which are illicit or illegal to possess.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contraband |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #24,713 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “contraband” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for contraband is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,713 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for contraband, with forms such as "ccontraband", "cnotraband", and "conntraband". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish contrabanda (modern spelling contrabando), from Italian contrabando (modern spelling contrabbando), from contra (“against”) + bando (“ban”), and reinforced by French contrebande. The correct English form is contraband, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-B-A-N-D.
Definition
- 1Any goods which are illicit or illegal to possess.
- 2Goods which are prohibited from being traded, smuggled goods.
- 3A black slave during the American Civil War who had escaped to, or been captured by, Union forces.
Etymology
From Spanish contrabanda (modern spelling contrabando), from Italian contrabando (modern spelling contrabbando), from contra (“against”) + bando (“ban”), and reinforced by French contrebande.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccontraband,cnotraband,conntraband,conrtaband,contarband,contraabnd,contrabadn,contrabandd,contrabannd,contrabband,contrabnad,contrbaand,contrraband,conttraband,cotnraband,ocntraband
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contraband - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "contraband"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “contraband”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A-B-A-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌbænd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.