bolden

/ˈbəʊld(ə)n/

//ˈbəʊld(ə)n// verb

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

"bolden" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bolden” is uncommon English (frequency #51,574 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,574
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Synonym of embolden (“To render (someone) bolder or more courageous”).

Corpus desk

Index EN-bolden · bolden · English

bolden · rank #51,574 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,574
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH BOGO

Nearest frequency peer: BOGO (-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 “bolden”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bolden
PropertyValue
Headwordbolden
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbəʊld(ə)n/
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,574
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bolden” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).boldenfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “BOGO” (#51,573), “boll” (#51,575), “bobbin” (#51,572). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bolden” is #51,574. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bolden is uncommon English at frequency #51,574 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbəʊld(ə)n/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Synonym of embolden (“To render (someone) bolder or more courageous”).".

bolden doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bold + -en. The correct English form is bolden, spelled B-O-L-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Synonym of embolden (“To render (someone) bolder or more courageous”).

Etymology

From bold + -en.

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 "bolden"?
"bolden" is spelled B-O-L-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbəʊld(ə)n/.
What does "bolden" mean?
As a verb, "bolden" means: Synonym of embolden (“To render (someone) bolder or more courageous”).
How do you pronounce "bolden"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolden" is /ˈbəʊld(ə)n/. 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 "bolden"?
From bold + -en. 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 "bolden", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bobbin#51,572Bexley#51,565Bellas#51,564banque#51,559

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list