boldface
noun, verb, adjective
boldface is spelled B-O-L-D-F-A-C-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, boldface means “A font that is dark, having a high ratio of ink to white space, written or drawn with thick strong lines” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of boldface is boldfaces.
How many letters and syllables are in boldface?
| Letters | 8: B-O-L-D-F-A-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 70,702nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is boldface?
Boldface appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce boldface?
Boldface has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of boldface
- boldfaces plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- boldfacing participle, present
- boldfaced participle, past
- more boldface comparative
- most boldface superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does boldface mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A font that is dark, having a high ratio of ink to white space, written or drawn with thick strong lines.
verb
- 1
To print or write in a boldfaced font.
Boldface the due date so they are sure to see it.
adjective
- 1
Synonym of boldfaced.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate boldface?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of boldface: bf.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Boldface in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a font with thicker strokes:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Fettschrift |
| Portuguese | negrito |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does boldface come from?
From bold + face.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).