jumbo
jum·bo/ˈd͡ʒʌmboʊ/adjective, noun
jumbo is spelled J-U-M-B-O: 5 letters and 2 syllables (jum·bo). It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, jumbo means “Especially large or powerful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in jumbo?
| Letters | 5: J-U-M-B-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: jum·bo |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 jumbo?
Jumbo appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th 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 jumbo?
- UK /ˈd͡ʒʌmbəʊ/
- US /ˈd͡ʒʌmboʊ/
Jumbo has 2 syllables, split jum·bo in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-jumbo.ogg, En-us-jumbo.ogg, En-au-jumbo.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with jumbo?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as jumbo from its last stressed vowel (/ʌmboʊ/):
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 jumbo
- jumbos plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does jumbo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Especially large or powerful.
a jumbo helping
noun
- 1
An especially large or powerful person, animal, or thing.
- 2
IndiaAn elephant.
- 3
A platform-mounted machine for drilling rock.
- 4
BritishA large airplane, such as those used for intercontinental travel.
- 5
Synonym of bologna (“type of meat”).
- 6
A wide roll of machine-trimmed paper, ready to be cut into smaller widths.
In the unwind area, one system loads and unloads the unwind stand almost simultaneously. The jumbo is stored ahead of the unwind on level rails.
- 7
Ellipsis of mumbo jumbo (“a deity or other supernatural being worshipped by certain West African peoples; an idol representing such a being”).
noun
- 1
Acronym of Jupiter-mass binary object
noun
- 1
Alternative form of JuMBO
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Jumbo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 jumbo come from?
From Jumbo (1860–1885), the name given to a large African elephant from East Africa that was purchased in 1882 by American showman P. T. Barnum (1810–1891) for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Compare Swahili jambo (“matter, thing”) and jumbe (“chief, headman”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).