bidon

\bi.dɔ̃\

/\bi.dɔ̃\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“bidon” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #8,505 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,505
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Gourde de fer-blanc propre à contenir de l’eau ou tout autre liquide, à usage militaire.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bidon vs bon
60% similar
bidon vs bio
60% similar
bidon vs bin
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bidon
PropertyValue
Headwordbidon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bi.dɔ̃\
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,505
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bidon” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bidon lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for bidon is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bi.dɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #8,505 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bidon, with forms such as "bbidon", "bdion", and "biddon". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bon", "bio", "bin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is bidon, spelled B-I-D-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Gourde de fer-blanc propre à contenir de l’eau ou tout autre liquide, à usage militaire.
  2. 2
    Espèce de broc de bois qui contenait environ cinq litres.
  3. 3
    Petite baille à deux anses, contenant de la viande, du beurre salé, du poisson, etc.
  4. 4
    Récipient en fer-blanc, en plastique, etc., clos hermétiquement, renfermant de l’huile, du pétrole, de l’essence, du lait, etc.
  5. 5
    Le contenu de ce récipient.
  6. 6
    Ventre, bide. → voir bedon
  7. 7
    Vaisselle.
  8. 8
    Boniment, mensonge ; chose factice, trompeuse, spécieuse, bluffeuse.
  9. 9
    Personne qui n’est pas réellement ce qu’elle paraît être.
  10. 10
    Plaque de métal.

This word in other languages

canteen(English)Kanister(Deutsch)cantil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbidon,bdion,biddon,bidno,bidonn,biodn,ibdon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bidon - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbidon1bdion2biddon1bidno2bidonn1biodn2ibdon2
Edit distance from "bidon"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bidon"?
"bidon" is spelled B-I-D-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \bi.dɔ̃\.
What does "bidon" mean?
As a noun, "bidon" means: Gourde de fer-blanc propre à contenir de l’eau ou tout autre liquide, à usage militaire.
What words are commonly confused with "bidon"?
"bidon" is commonly confused with "bon", "bio", "bin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bidon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bidon" is \bi.dɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bidon" come from?
"bidon" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “bidon”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-I-D-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bi.dɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bon” - see the side-by-side comparison. bidon vs bon
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list