bona fide

\ˌbəʊ.nə.ˈfaɪ.di\

/\ˌbəʊ.nə.ˈfaɪ.di\/ adj

The verdict

“bona fide” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - De bonne foi.

Corpus desk

Index FR-bona-fide · bona fide · French

bona fide · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 bona fide
PropertyValue
Headwordbona fide
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˌbəʊ.nə.ˈfaɪ.di\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « bona fide » en français

bona fidesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

bona fide is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ˌbəʊ.nə.ˈfaɪ.di\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bona fide, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is bona fide, spelled B-O-N-A- -F-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    De bonne foi.
  2. 2
    Véritable, authentique ; non contrefait.

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 "bona fide"?
"bona fide" is spelled B-O-N-A- -F-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ˌbəʊ.nə.ˈfaɪ.di\.
What does "bona fide" mean?
As an adjective, "bona fide" means: De bonne foi.
How do you pronounce "bona fide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bona fide" is \ˌbəʊ.nə.ˈfaɪ.di\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bona fide" come from?
"bona fide" is a French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list