bogle

/ˈbɒɡ.əl/

//ˈbɒɡ.əl// noun

"bogle" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bogle” is uncommon English (frequency #67,269 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,269
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A goblin, imp, bogeyman, bugbear or similar a frightful being or phantom.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bogle · bogle · English

bogle · rank #67,269 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,269
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH blowfish

Nearest frequency peer: blowfish (-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 “bogle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bogle
PropertyValue
Headwordbogle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɒɡ.əl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#67,269
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bogle” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).boglefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “blowfish” (#67,268), “bondsman” (#67,271), “Bleecker” (#67,266). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bogle” is #67,269. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bogle is uncommon English at frequency #67,269 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɒɡ.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for bogle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain; possibly cognate with English bug, or derived from Welsh bwgwly (“to terrify”). The correct English form is bogle, spelled B-O-G-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A goblin, imp, bogeyman, bugbear or similar a frightful being or phantom.
  2. 2
    A scarecrow.
  3. 3
    A Jamaican dance move that involves raising and lowering the arms while moving the body in a waving motion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For ilka place I ha'e is already fu', But ae big room-'deed frien', I needna lie t'yne An' that has long been haunted by a bogle
  2. “Montgomery,” said I, “what was that thing that came after me? Was it a beast or was it a man?” “If you don’t sleep to-night,” he said, “you’ll be off your head to-morrow.” I stood up in front of him. “What was that thing that came after me?” I asked. He looked me squarely in the eyes, and twisted his mouth askew. His eyes, which had seemed animated a min…

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly cognate with English bug, or derived from Welsh bwgwly (“to terrify”).

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 "bogle"?
"bogle" is spelled B-O-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒɡ.əl/.
What does "bogle" mean?
As a noun, "bogle" means: A goblin, imp, bogeyman, bugbear or similar a frightful being or phantom.
How do you pronounce "bogle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bogle" is /ˈbɒɡ.əl/. 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 "bogle"?
Uncertain; possibly cognate with English bug, or derived from Welsh bwgwly (“to terrify”). 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 "bogle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list