tombola

/tɒmˈbəʊlə/

//tɒmˈbəʊlə// noun

"tombola" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tombola” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A lottery in which winning tickets are drawn from a revolving drum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tombola · tombola · English

tombola · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for tombola
PropertyValue
Headwordtombola
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/tɒmˈbəʊlə/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tombola” sits in English frequency

tombola falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tombola is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /tɒmˈbəʊlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for tombola in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian tombola. The correct English form is tombola, spelled T-O-M-B-O-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lottery in which winning tickets are drawn from a revolving drum.
  2. 2
    The drum from which the tickets are drawn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He had been given no choice in the matter of sharing rooms. Gary and he were drawn out of the tombola together, so together they were.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian tombola.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tombola"?
"tombola" is spelled T-O-M-B-O-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /tɒmˈbəʊlə/.
What does "tombola" mean?
As a noun, "tombola" means: A lottery in which winning tickets are drawn from a revolving drum.
How do you pronounce "tombola"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tombola" is /tɒmˈbəʊlə/. 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 "tombola"?
Borrowed from Italian tombola. 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.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list