boldness

/ˈboʊldnəs/

//ˈboʊldnəs// noun

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

"boldness" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“boldness” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,707. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,707
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being bold; courage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-boldness · boldness · English

boldness · rank #32,707 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #32,707
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bogota

Nearest frequency peer: Bogota (-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 “boldness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “boldness” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

boldness vs baldness
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for boldness
PropertyValue
Headwordboldness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈboʊldnəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#32,707
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “boldness”

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).boldnesslands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Bogota” (#32,706), “bolstered” (#32,708), “bookseller” (#32,709). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “boldness” is #32,707. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around boldness (IPA /ˈboʊldnəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,707 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for boldness, with forms such as "bboldness", "blodness", and "bodlness". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "baldness", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English boldnesse, equivalent to bold + -ness. Cognate with Scots baldness, bauldness (“boldness”). The correct English form is boldness, spelled B-O-L-D-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being bold; courage.
  2. 2
    presumptuousness
  3. 3
    The relative weight of a font; the thickness of its strokes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Then he warmed to it, and smoothly set out all his shifts, malices, and treacheries, his extreme boldnesses (he was desperate bold); his retreats, shufflings, and counterfeitings (he was also inconceivably a coward) […]

Etymology

From Middle English boldnesse, equivalent to bold + -ness. Cognate with Scots baldness, bauldness (“boldness”).

This word in other languages

osadía(Español)audace(Français)valentia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bboldness
  • blodness
  • bodlness
  • bolddness
  • boldenss
  • boldnes
  • boldnness
  • boldnses
  • bolldness
  • bolndess
  • obldness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of boldness - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bboldness1blodness2bodlness2bolddness1boldenss2boldnes1boldnness1boldnses2
Edit distance from "boldness"

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 "boldness"?
"boldness" is spelled B-O-L-D-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈboʊldnəs/.
What does "boldness" mean?
As a noun, "boldness" means: The state of being bold; courage.
What words are commonly confused with "boldness"?
"boldness" is commonly confused with "baldness". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "boldness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "boldness" is /ˈboʊldnəs/. 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 "boldness"?
From Middle English boldnesse, equivalent to bold + -ness. Cognate with Scots baldness, bauldness (“boldness”). 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 "boldness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Brampton#32,712breakage#32,714bereaved#32,696Ballarat#32,691

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

aggrieved11 variantsDevonian11 variantsungodly11 variantsundying11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list