juju

/ˈd͡ʒuːd͡ʒu/

//ˈd͡ʒuːd͡ʒu// noun

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

"juju" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“juju” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,109
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fetish or charm believed by West Africans to have magical or supernatural powers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-juju · juju · English

juju · rank #30,109 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,109
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kafka

Nearest frequency peer: Kafka (+2 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 “juju”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “juju” 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).

juju vs jun
50% similar
juju vs jus
50% similar
juju vs just
50% similar

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

Key facts for juju
PropertyValue
Headwordjuju
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒuːd͡ʒu/
Letters4
Frequency rank#30,109
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “juju”

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).jujulands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Kafka” (#30,111), “jaded” (#30,105), “Keyes” (#30,113). Among 796 “J” headwords, “juju” is #30,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around juju (IPA /ˈd͡ʒuːd͡ʒu/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,109 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for juju, with forms such as "jjuju", "jjuu", and "jujju". 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, "jun", "jus", "just", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a West African language, probably originally from French joujou. The correct English form is juju, spelled J-U-J-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fetish or charm believed by West Africans to have magical or supernatural powers.
  2. 2
    The magical or supernatural power of such a charm.
  3. 3
    The (usually negative) karmic consequences of an action or behavior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Pendants round the neck, bangles round the wrists or ankles, potatoes or nutmegs in the pocket are as old or older than civilisation, carrying the same prophylactic magic as any juju in an African witchdoctor's armamentarium.
  2. They are believed to be "Ju-Ju" or were-leopards, and in this guise to roam through the forest in bands, bent on evil and destruction.

Etymology

From a West African language, probably originally from French joujou.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • jjuju
  • jjuu
  • jujju
  • juuj
  • ujju

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of juju - 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.

jjuju1jjuu2jujju1juuj2ujju2
Edit distance from "juju"

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 "juju"?
"juju" is spelled J-U-J-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒuːd͡ʒu/.
What does "juju" mean?
As a noun, "juju" means: A fetish or charm believed by West Africans to have magical or supernatural powers.
What words are commonly confused with "juju"?
"juju" is commonly confused with "jun", "jus", "just". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "juju"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "juju" is /ˈd͡ʒuːd͡ʒu/. 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 "juju"?
From a West African language, probably originally from French joujou. 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 "juju", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

iota#30,103leno#30,118mako#30,126Hera#30,081

Similar misspelling depth

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

naga5 variantsergo5 variantsduma5 variantssienna5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list