boisterous

/ˈbɔɪstəɹəs/

//ˈbɔɪstəɹəs// adj

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

"boisterous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“boisterous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,402. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,402
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Full of energy; exuberant; noisy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-boisterous · boisterous · English

boisterous · rank #34,402 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,402
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Blumenthal

Nearest frequency peer: Blumenthal (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “boisterous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “boisterous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for boisterous
PropertyValue
Headwordboisterous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɔɪstəɹəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#34,402
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “boisterous”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Blumenthal” (#34,401), “Bonneville” (#34,403), “bloodthirsty” (#34,400). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “boisterous” is #34,402. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around boisterous (IPA /ˈbɔɪstəɹəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #34,402 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for boisterous, with forms such as "bboisterous", "biosterous", and "boisetrous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English boistres, an alteration of Middle English boistous (“crude, unrefined”), of uncertain origin. Likely from Anglo-Norman boystous, bustous (“rough, in a crude state, disabled, paralysed, unable to walk, lame”), Old French boitous (“limping… The correct English form is boisterous, spelled B-O-I-S-T-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Full of energy; exuberant; noisy.
  2. 2
    Characterized by violence and agitation; wild; stormy.
  3. 3
    Having or resembling animal exuberance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Open carriages tend to be draughty and inadequately heated. The passenger in them has no escape from the annoyance of squalling babies, boisterous drunks, and riotous teddy-boys, who may be at the far end of the coach but whose din cannot be shut out.
  2. ſtaggering like a quiuering Aſpen leafe, Fearing the force of Boreas boiſtrous blaſts.

Etymology

From Middle English boistres, an alteration of Middle English boistous (“crude, unrefined”), of uncertain origin. Likely from Anglo-Norman boystous, bustous (“rough, in a crude state, disabled, paralysed, unable to walk, lame”), Old French boitous (“limping; having a rough, uneven surface”).

This word in other languages

ruidoso(Español)bruyant(Français)ungestüm(Deutsch)ruidoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bboisterous
  • biosterous
  • boisetrous
  • boissterous
  • boisteorus
  • boisterosu
  • boisterouss
  • boisterrous
  • boisteruos
  • boistreous
  • boistterous
  • boitserous
  • bositerous
  • obisterous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of boisterous - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bboisterous1biosterous2boisetrous2boissterous1boisteorus2boisterosu2boisterouss1boisterrous1
Edit distance from "boisterous"

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 "boisterous"?
"boisterous" is spelled B-O-I-S-T-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɔɪstəɹəs/.
What does "boisterous" mean?
As an adjective, "boisterous" means: Full of energy; exuberant; noisy.
What are common misspellings of "boisterous"?
Common misspellings include "bboisterous", "biosterous", "boisetrous", "boissterous", "boisteorus". The correct spelling is "boisterous".
How do you pronounce "boisterous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "boisterous" is /ˈbɔɪstəɹəs/. 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 "boisterous"?
From Middle English boistres, an alteration of Middle English boistous (“crude, unrefined”), of uncertain origin. Likely from Anglo-Norman boystous, bustous (“rough, in a crude state, disabled, paralysed, unable to walk, lame”), Old French boitous... 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 "boisterous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Blumenthal#34,401Bonneville#34,403apparition#34,378accidently#34,363

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

betrothed14 variantsBroderick14 variantsBroughton14 variantscarriageway14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list