Istanbul

/ɪ.stænˈbʊl/

//ɪ.stænˈbʊl// name

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

"istanbul" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Istanbul” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,563. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,563
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Turkish city, and the largest European city by population, which was the last capital of the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).

Corpus desk

Index EN-istanbul · Istanbul · English

Istanbul · rank #10,563 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,563
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ironically

Nearest frequency peer: ironically (-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 “Istanbul”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Istanbul” 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
Key facts for Istanbul
PropertyValue
HeadwordIstanbul
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ɪ.stænˈbʊl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,563
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Istanbul”

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).Istanbullands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “ironically” (#10,562), “Jacobs” (#10,564), “invaded” (#10,561). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “Istanbul” is #10,563. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Istanbul (IPA /ɪ.stænˈbʊl/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #10,563 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Istanbul, with forms such as "isatnbul", "isstanbul", and "istabnul". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Turkish İstanbul, from Ottoman Turkish استانبول (İstanbul), a corruption of Byzantine Greek εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (eis tḕn Pólin, “to the City”), which is how Constantinople was referred to by the local Greeks. The correct English form is Istanbul, spelled I-S-T-A-N-B-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Turkish city, and the largest European city by population, which was the last capital of the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).
  2. 2
    A province in Turkey.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Nearly a century ago, my grandfather passed through Istanbul en route to Europe along with hordes of other White Russians fleeing the Russian civil war.

Etymology

From Turkish İstanbul, from Ottoman Turkish استانبول (İstanbul), a corruption of Byzantine Greek εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (eis tḕn Pólin, “to the City”), which is how Constantinople was referred to by the local Greeks.

Synonyms

ByzantiumByzantionConstantinople

This word in other languages

Estambul(Español)Istanbul(Français)Istanbul(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isatnbul
  • isstanbul
  • istabnul
  • istanbbul
  • istanblu
  • istanbull
  • istannbul
  • istanubl
  • istnabul
  • isttanbul
  • itsanbul
  • sitanbul

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Istanbul - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

isatnbul2isstanbul1istabnul2istanbbul1istanblu2istanbull1istannbul1istanubl2
Edit distance from "Istanbul"

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 "Istanbul"?
"Istanbul" is spelled I-S-T-A-N-B-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪ.stænˈbʊl/.
What does "Istanbul" mean?
As a proper noun, "Istanbul" means: A Turkish city, and the largest European city by population, which was the last capital of the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).
What are common misspellings of "Istanbul"?
Common misspellings include "isatnbul", "isstanbul", "istabnul", "istanbbul", "istanblu". The correct spelling is "Istanbul".
How do you pronounce "Istanbul"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Istanbul" is /ɪ.stænˈbʊl/. 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 "Istanbul"?
From Turkish İstanbul, from Ottoman Turkish استانبول (İstanbul), a corruption of Byzantine Greek εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (eis tḕn Pólin, “to the City”), which is how Constantinople was referred to by the local Greeks. 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 "Istanbul", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jealousy#10,565inserted#10,559initiate#10,558Kingston#10,569

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

jewellery12 variantsMcCarthy12 variantsFernando12 variantsenclosed12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list