bolero

/bəˈlɛɹoʊ/

//bəˈlɛɹoʊ// noun

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

The verdict

“bolero” is uncommon English (frequency #53,409 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,409
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lively Spanish dance in 3/4 time; also an unrelated slower-tempo dance of Cuban origin, in 2/4 time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bolero · bolero · English

bolero · rank #53,409 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,409
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bodysuit

Nearest frequency peer: bodysuit (-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 “bolero”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bolero
PropertyValue
Headwordbolero
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bəˈlɛɹoʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#53,409
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bolero” 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).bolerofalls 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: “bodysuit” (#53,408), “Bolin” (#53,410), “Bodleian” (#53,407). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bolero” is #53,409. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bolero is uncommon English at frequency #53,409 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bəˈlɛɹoʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

bolero has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish bolero, from bola. The correct English form is bolero, spelled B-O-L-E-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lively Spanish dance in 3/4 time; also an unrelated slower-tempo dance of Cuban origin, in 2/4 time.
  2. 2
    A type of short, buttonless jacket or blouse, open or tied in front and ending at the diaphragm.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Edward's attention was at first rivetted on two dancers engaged in their graceful national dance, the bolero. What a blessing to a people is a climate that encourages out-of-door amusement!
  2. He took the bolero, which was made of soft angora, and rubbed it up and down his cheek.

Etymology

From Spanish bolero, from bola.

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 "bolero"?
"bolero" is spelled B-O-L-E-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is /bəˈlɛɹoʊ/.
What does "bolero" mean?
As a noun, "bolero" means: A lively Spanish dance in 3/4 time; also an unrelated slower-tempo dance of Cuban origin, in 2/4 time.
How do you pronounce "bolero"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolero" is /bəˈlɛɹoʊ/. 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 "bolero"?
From Spanish bolero, from bola. 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 "bolero", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list