# jumbo

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈd͡ʒʌmbəʊ/ · frequency rank #17,651

## Definitions
1. Especially large or powerful.

## Etymology
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **jump** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jumbo-vs-jump)
- **Juno** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jumbo-vs-juno)
- **jumps** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jumbo-vs-jumps)
- **jumpy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jumbo-vs-jumpy)
- **judo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/judo-vs-jumbo)
- **juba** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/juba-vs-jumbo)
- **julio** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/julio-vs-jumbo)
- **Jimbo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jimbo-vs-jumbo)
- **jumble** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jumble-vs-jumbo)

## Common misspellings (7)
`jjumbo`, `jmubo`, `jubmo`, `jumbbo`, `jummbo`, `jumob`, `ujmbo`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/jumbo