boubou

\bu.bu\

/\bu.bu\/ noun

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

The verdict

“boubou” is uncommon French (frequency #51,316 among 227,490 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,316
frequency rank, French
227,490
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vêtement traditionnel africain, long et très ample, aussi bien porté par des hommes que par des femmes.

Key facts for boubou
PropertyValue
Headwordboubou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bu.bu\
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,316
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “boubou” 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). boubou lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

boubou is uncommon French at frequency #51,316 among 227,490 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \bu.bu\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

boubou doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is boubou, spelled B-O-U-B-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vêtement traditionnel africain, long et très ample, aussi bien porté par des hommes que par des femmes.
  2. 2
    Les Africains, les Noirs eux-mêmes.

This word in other languages

boubou(English)

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 "boubou"?
"boubou" is spelled B-O-U-B-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \bu.bu\.
What does "boubou" mean?
As a noun, "boubou" means: Vêtement traditionnel africain, long et très ample, aussi bien porté par des hommes que par des femmes.
How do you pronounce "boubou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "boubou" is \bu.bu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "boubou" come from?
"boubou" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “boubou”

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

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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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