bollard
/ˈbɒləɹd/
"bollard" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bollard” is an uncommon English word, ranked #73,010 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #73,010
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A strong vertical post of timber or iron, fixed to the ground and/or on the deck of a ship, to which the ship's mooring lines etc are secured.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bollard |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɒləɹd/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #73,010 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bollard” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bollard is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɒləɹd/. Corpus data places it at rank #73,010 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for bollard in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bollard, probably from Middle English bole (“tree trunk”), from Old Norse bolr (“stump, trunk”), equivalent to bole + -ard (pejorative or diminutive suffix). The correct English form is bollard, spelled B-O-L-L-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1A strong vertical post of timber or iron, fixed to the ground and/or on the deck of a ship, to which the ship's mooring lines etc are secured.
- 2A similar post preventing vehicle access to a pedestrian area, to delineate traffic lanes, or used for security purposes.
Etymology
From Middle English bollard, probably from Middle English bole (“tree trunk”), from Old Norse bolr (“stump, trunk”), equivalent to bole + -ard (pejorative or diminutive suffix).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “bollard”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-L-L-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɒləɹd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.