bonobo

[boˈnoβ̞o]

/[boˈnoβ̞o]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Pan paniscus) Especie de primate, perteneciente a la familia Hominidae, orden Primates. Emparentado con el chimpancé, antes fue llamado «chimpancé pigmeo», pero actualmente es reconocido como una ...

Key facts for bonobo
PropertyValue
Headwordbonobo
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[boˈnoβ̞o]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bonobo” sits in Spanish frequency

bonobo falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Spanish 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

bonobo is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [boˈnoβ̞o]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "(Pan paniscus) Especie de primate, perteneciente a la familia Hominidae, orden Primates. Emparentado con el chimpancé, antes fue llamado «chimpancé pigmeo», pero actualmente es reconocido como una ...".

No misspelling variants are generated for bonobo in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is bonobo, spelled B-O-N-O-B-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Pan paniscus) Especie de primate, perteneciente a la familia Hominidae, orden Primates. Emparentado con el chimpancé, antes fue llamado «chimpancé pigmeo», pero actualmente es reconocido como una especie diferente. Habita los bosques tropicales al sur del río Congo, es mayoritariamente herbívoro, de tipo gregario y de estructura matriarcal.

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

How do you spell "bonobo"?
"bonobo" is spelled B-O-N-O-B-O. The IPA pronunciation is [boˈnoβ̞o].
What does "bonobo" mean?
As a noun, "bonobo" means: (Pan paniscus) Especie de primate, perteneciente a la familia Hominidae, orden Primates. Emparentado con el chimpancé, antes fue llamado «chimpancé pigmeo», pero actualmente es reconocido como una ...
How do you pronounce "bonobo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bonobo" is [boˈnoβ̞o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bonobo" come from?
"bonobo" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “bonobo”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is B-O-N-O-B-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [boˈnoβ̞o] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list