bomba

/ˈbõŋ.ba/

//ˈbõŋ.ba// noun

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

The verdict

“bomba” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #2,356 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,356
frequency rank, Portuguese
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - artefato explosivo usado como arma, empregado em guerras contra alvos militares ou civis, que pode ser lançado ou plantado:

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bomba vs bota
60% similar
bomba vs bora
60% similar
bomba vs borda
60% similar

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

Key facts for bomba
PropertyValue
Headwordbomba
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbõŋ.ba/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,356
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bomba” 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). bomba 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 bomba is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbõŋ.ba/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,356 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bomba, with forms such as "bbomba", "bmoba", and "bobma". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bota", "bora", "borda", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is bomba, spelled B-O-M-B-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    artefato explosivo usado como arma, empregado em guerras contra alvos militares ou civis, que pode ser lançado ou plantado:
  2. 2
    engenho pirotécnico composto de pólvora e estopim
  3. 3
    aparelho usado para sugar ou impelir fluidos:
  4. 4
    máquina empregada na extração de leite materno
  5. 5
    dispositivo usado para inflar (especialmente pneus ou bolas):
  6. 6
    canudo utilizado para tomar chimarrão, geralmente feito de madeira ou metal, achatado em sua extremidade inferior e cheio de pequenos furos que coam a erva-mate, permitindo a sucção apenas do líquido
  7. 7
    disco destinado a amortecer o choque entre vagões de comboio/trem
  8. 8
    vão ocupado pela escada principal da casa, compreendido entre o primeiro piso e a claraboia
  9. 9
    alçapão de estábulo pelo qual despeja-se palha nos cochos
  10. 10
    guloseima de massa cozida com recheio de chocolate ou creme
  11. 11
    chute forte:
  12. 12
    situação complicada
  13. 13
    acontecimento inesperado, surpreendente ou que causa grande repercussão:
  14. 14
    algo de péssima qualidade:
  15. 15
    nota baixa obtida em uma avaliação:
  16. 16
    repetição de ano escolar
  17. 17
    anabolizante usado para estimular o desenvolvimento dos músculos

Synonyms

explosivopetardobombilhaeclerpetardocomplicaçãoproblemaabacaxipepino

This word in other languages

bomb(English)bomba(Español)bombe(Français)Bombe(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbomba,bmoba,bobma,bomab,bombba,bommba,obmba

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bomba - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbomba1bmoba2bobma2bomab2bombba1bommba1obmba2
Edit distance from "bomba"

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 "bomba"?
"bomba" is spelled B-O-M-B-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbõŋ.ba/.
What does "bomba" mean?
As a noun, "bomba" means: artefato explosivo usado como arma, empregado em guerras contra alvos militares ou civis, que pode ser lançado ou plantado:
What words are commonly confused with "bomba"?
"bomba" is commonly confused with "bota", "bora", "borda". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bomba"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bomba" is /ˈbõŋ.ba/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bomba" come from?
"bomba" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “bomba”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is B-O-M-B-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbõŋ.ba/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bota” - see the side-by-side comparison. bomba vs bota
  • 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