bom

adj

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

The verdict

“bom” is in the everyday core of Portuguese, ranked #96 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adjective.

#96
frequency rank, Portuguese
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - que corresponde plenamente ao que é exigido, desejado ou esperado quanto à sua natureza, adequação, função, eficácia, funcionamento etc. (falando de ser ou coisa)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bom vs by
33% similar
bom vs BR
0% similar
bom vs boy
67% similar

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

Key facts for bom
PropertyValue
Headwordbom
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
Letters3
Frequency rank#96
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bom” sits in Portuguese 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). bom 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 Portuguese entry for bom is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #96 in overall Portuguese word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for bom in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "BR", "boy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is bom, spelled B-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    que corresponde plenamente ao que é exigido, desejado ou esperado quanto à sua natureza, adequação, função, eficácia, funcionamento etc. (falando de ser ou coisa)
  2. 2
    moralmente correto em suas atitudes, de acordo com quem julga
  3. 3
    que corresponde aos padrões aceitos pela comunidade quanto a características físicas ou de funcionamento
  4. 4
    que desempenha bem sua função ou papel, de acordo com as expectativas do meio em que se insere
  5. 5
    que agrada ao paladar; saboroso
  6. 6
    que é misericordioso ou indulgente; magnânimo, caridoso
  7. 7
    livre de algum mal físico, mental etc
  8. 8
    que age com disposição e coragem; bravo, valente
  9. 9
    adequado às circunstâncias; ideal, apropriado
  10. 10
    em conformidade com a lei; válido, confiável
  11. 11
    caracterizado pela cortesia e/ou descontração; afável
  12. 12
    de grande ou considerável dimensão
  13. 13
    não bom¹

This word in other languages

good(English)bueno(Español)bon(Français)gut(Deutsch)

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 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bom"?
"bom" is spelled B-O-M.
What does "bom" mean?
As an adjective, "bom" means: que corresponde plenamente ao que é exigido, desejado ou esperado quanto à sua natureza, adequação, função, eficácia, funcionamento etc. (falando de ser ou coisa)
What words are commonly confused with "bom"?
"bom" is commonly confused with "by", "BR", "boy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "bom" come from?
"bom" 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.

Using “bom”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is B-O-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “by” - see the side-by-side comparison. bom vs by
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese 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