gobo
go·bo/ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/noun
gobo is spelled G-O-B-O: 4 letters and 2 syllables (go·bo). It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gobo means “A screen (often in disc form) placed between a light and an illuminated actor or object in order to diffuse the glare” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gobo is gobos or goboes.
How many letters and syllables are in gobo?
| Letters | 4: G-O-B-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: go·bo |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 111,684th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is gobo?
Gobo appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th 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 gobo?
- UK /ˈɡəʊbəʊ/
- US /ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/
As a noun (“The taproot of young edible burdock plants (Arctium lappa)…”): /ˈɡəʊbəʊ/, /ˈɡɒ-/, /ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/.
Gobo has 2 syllables, split go·bo in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gobo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with gobo?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as gobo from its last stressed vowel (/oʊboʊ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: boog.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of gobo
- gobos plural
- goboes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gobo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A screen (often in disc form) placed between a light and an illuminated actor or object in order to diffuse the glare.
- 2
A device used to shield a microphone from extraneous sounds.
- 3
A template inserted over a light source to control the shape of the thrown light.
- 4
The taproot of young edible burdock plants (Arctium lappa), eaten as a root vegetable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gobo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense template inserted over a light source to control the shape of the thrown light:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gobo |
| German | Gobo |
| Spanish | gobo |
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 gobo come from?
Uncertain; possibly from go-b(etween) (“intermediary, middleman”) + -o (suffix forming informal terms).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).