baba

//ˈba.bɐ// noun

Letters

4 characters

Frequency Rank

#13,888

in Portuguese word usage

Misspellings

5

tracked variants

Confusables

20

similar word pairs

baba is aPortuguesenoun. It means: saliva ou mucosidade que escorre da boca Pronounced /ˈba.bɐ/. Often confused with boa and bar.

Key facts for baba
PropertyValue
Headwordbaba
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈba.bɐ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,888
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of baba in Portuguese word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for baba is 4 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈba.bɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,888 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 5 documented wrong-spelling variants for baba, with forms such as "abba", "baab", and "babba". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "boa", "bar", "bad", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct Portuguese form is baba, spelled B-A-B-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    saliva ou mucosidade que escorre da boca
  2. 2
    a cachaça que resta no copo

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abba,baab,babba,bbaa,bbaba

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for baba

Misspelling Variants of "baba"

abba4baab4babba5bbaa4bbaba5
Misspelling Variants of "baba"

Frequency rank: #13,888 in Portuguese

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "baba"?
"baba" is spelled B-A-B-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈba.bɐ/.
What does "baba" mean?
As a noun, "baba" means: saliva ou mucosidade que escorre da boca
What words are commonly confused with "baba"?
"baba" is commonly confused with "boa", "bar", "bad". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "baba"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "baba" is /ˈba.bɐ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "baba" come from?
"baba" is a Portuguese 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.

Nearby Portuguese words

Other entries that begin with the letter B in our Portuguese index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.