# puller vs pulley

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### puller
*noun · IPA /ˈpʊlɚ/ · frequency rank #46,121*
Anything that pulls, but especially a hoist in which a cable is attached to a lever and a ratchet mechanism.

### pulley
*noun · IPA /ˈpʊli/ · frequency rank #32,139*
One of the simple machines; a sheave, a wheel with a grooved rim, in which a pulled rope or chain lifts an object (more useful when two or more pulleys are used together, as in a block and tackle arrangement, such that a small force moving through a greater distance can exert a larger force through a smaller distance).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puller-vs-pulley