bourdon

\buʁ.dɔ̃\

/\buʁ.dɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bourdon” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,766 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,766
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Long bâton de pèlerin surmonté d’une gourde, ou d’un ornement en forme de pomme.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bourdon vs bouton
71% similar
bourdon vs Burton
57% similar
bourdon vs bourrin
71% similar

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

Key facts for bourdon
PropertyValue
Headwordbourdon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\buʁ.dɔ̃\
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,766
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bourdon” 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). bourdon 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 bourdon is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \buʁ.dɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,766 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for bourdon, with forms such as "bbourdon", "borudon", and "boudron". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "bouton", "Burton", "bourrin", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 bourdon, spelled B-O-U-R-D-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Long bâton de pèlerin surmonté d’une gourde, ou d’un ornement en forme de pomme.
  2. 2
    Meuble représentant un bâton de pèlerin dans des armoiries. Il est généralement représenté en pal. Il est préférentiellement qualifié de bourdon de pèlerin dans les blasonnements. À rapprocher de bâton de prieur, bâton prieural, bourdon de pèlerin et crosse.
  3. 3
    Bâton de magicien.
  4. 4
    Grosse lance creuse utilisée par les chevaliers dans les tournois.
  5. 5
    Ganse ou bourrelet inséré dans un biais ou dans une couture formant une ligne brodée en relief.
  6. 6
    Fil ou paire de fils, plus épais que les autres fils utilisés pour la réalisation de l’ouvrage, destinés à faire ressortir un motif.
  7. 7
    Perche de bois faite d’une branche d’arbre dont on a ôté l’écorce.

Synonyms

bourdon de pèlerin

This word in other languages

staff(English)cayado(Español)cajado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbourdon,borudon,boudron,bourddon,bourdno,bourdonn,bourodn,bourrdon,buordon,oburdon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbourdon1borudon2boudron2bourddon1bourdno2bourdonn1bourodn2bourrdon1
Edit distance from "bourdon"

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 "bourdon"?
"bourdon" is spelled B-O-U-R-D-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \buʁ.dɔ̃\.
What does "bourdon" mean?
As a noun, "bourdon" means: Long bâton de pèlerin surmonté d’une gourde, ou d’un ornement en forme de pomme.
What words are commonly confused with "bourdon"?
"bourdon" is commonly confused with "bouton", "Burton", "bourrin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bourdon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bourdon" is \buʁ.dɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bourdon" come from?
"bourdon" 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.

Using “bourdon”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-O-U-R-D-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \buʁ.dɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bouton” - see the side-by-side comparison. bourdon vs bouton
  • 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