bawl

[bɔːɫ]

/[bɔːɫ]/ verb

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

"bawl" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bawl” is uncommon English (frequency #64,913 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,913
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To shout or utter in a loud and intense manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bawl · bawl · English

bawl · rank #64,913 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,913
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Basquiat

Nearest frequency peer: Basquiat (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “bawl”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bawl” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bawl
PropertyValue
Headwordbawl
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[bɔːɫ]
Letters4
Frequency rank#64,913
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bawl” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bawlfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Basquiat” (#64,912), “Bayreuth” (#64,914), “Basques” (#64,911). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bawl” is #64,913. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bawl is uncommon English at frequency #64,913 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [bɔːɫ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bawl, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English baulen, from Old Norse baula (“to bellow”) and/or Medieval Latin baulō (“to bark”), both from Proto-Germanic *bau- (“to roar”), conflated with Proto-Germanic *bellaną, *ballijaną, *buljaną (“to shout, low, roar”), from Proto-Indo-Europea… The correct English form is bawl, spelled B-A-W-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To shout or utter in a loud and intense manner.
  2. 2
    To wail; to give out a blaring cry.
  3. 3
    To weep profusely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bawl appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. commanders bawling
  2. He jumped upon the saddle with another yell as he pushed the machine before him, and the next instant was whirling down the thoroughfare with the rapidity of an express train, bawling for people to "Stand clear!"

Etymology

From Middle English baulen, from Old Norse baula (“to bellow”) and/or Medieval Latin baulō (“to bark”), both from Proto-Germanic *bau- (“to roar”), conflated with Proto-Germanic *bellaną, *ballijaną, *buljaną (“to shout, low, roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to sound, roar”). Cognate with Faroese belja (“to low”), Icelandic baula (“to moo, low”), Swedish böla (“to bellow, low”). More at bell.

This word in other languages

gritar(Español)hurler(Français)schreien(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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bawl"?
"bawl" is spelled B-A-W-L. The IPA pronunciation is [bɔːɫ].
What does "bawl" mean?
As a verb, "bawl" means: To shout or utter in a loud and intense manner.
How do you pronounce "bawl"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bawl" is [bɔːɫ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bawl"?
From Middle English baulen, from Old Norse baula (“to bellow”) and/or Medieval Latin baulō (“to bark”), both from Proto-Germanic *bau- (“to roar”), conflated with Proto-Germanic *bellaną, *ballijaną, *buljaną (“to shout, low, roar”), from Proto-In... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bawl", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bina#64,930biro#64,932birt#64,933Bodo#64,937

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list