colombia and columbia are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. colombia means “a republic in northwestern South America with a coastline on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of Simon Bolivar; Spanish is the official language”. columbia means “a North American river; rises in southwestern Canada and flows southward across Washington to form the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific; known for its salmon runs in the spring”.
/kəˈlʌmbiə/
1.n.a republic in northwestern South America with a coastline on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of Simon Bolivar; Spanish is the official language
/kəˈlʌmbiə/
| colombia | columbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /kəˈlʌmbiə/ | /kəˈlʌmbiə/ |
| Said | kuh-LUHM-bee-uh | kuh-LUHM-bee-uh |
| Syllables | 4 | 4 |
| Letters | 8 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 1 | 5 |
| How common | Familiar | Familiar |
| Synonyms | Republic of Colombia | Columbia River |
Full entry for colombia · Full entry for columbia · More comparisons
1.n.a North American river; rises in southwestern Canada and flows southward across Washington to form the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific; known for its salmon runs in the spring
2.n.a town in west central Tennessee
3.n.capital and largest city in South Carolina; located in central South Carolina