mumbo jumbo
/mʌmbəʊˈdʒʌmbəʊ/
"mumbo-jumbo" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mumbo jumbo” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A deity or other supernatural being said to have been worshipped by certain West African peoples; an idol.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mumbo jumbo |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /mʌmbəʊˈdʒʌmbəʊ/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mumbo jumbo” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mumbo jumbo is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mʌmbəʊˈdʒʌmbəʊ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mumbo jumbo, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Mandinka maamajomboo (“mask; masked dancer”); or perhaps from /l/-vocalization in the words mumble and jumble. The correct English form is mumbo jumbo, spelled M-U-M-B-O- -J-U-M-B-O.
Definition
- 1A deity or other supernatural being said to have been worshipped by certain West African peoples; an idol.
- 2Any object of superstition; religious words and/or actions which are seen as superstitious or fraudulent.
- 3Any confusing or meaningless speech; nonsense, gibberish.
Etymology
Probably from Mandinka maamajomboo (“mask; masked dancer”); or perhaps from /l/-vocalization in the words mumble and jumble.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “mumbo jumbo”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-U-M-B-O- -J-U-M-B-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /mʌmbəʊˈdʒʌmbəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.