bollard
/ˈbɒləɹd/noun
bollard is spelled B-O-L-L-A-R-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bollard means “A strong vertical post of timber or iron, fixed to a wharf, dock, or the deck of a ship, to which the ship's mooring lines or towlines are secured” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bollard is bollards.
How many letters and syllables are in bollard?
| Letters | 7: B-O-L-L-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 73,203rd 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 bollard?
Bollard appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd 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 bollard?
- /ˈbɒləɹd/
- /ˈbɒlɑːd/
- /ˈbɒləd/
Bollard 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). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bollard.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bollard2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bollard
- bollards plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bollard mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A strong vertical post of timber or iron, fixed to a wharf, dock, or the deck of a ship, to which the ship's mooring lines or towlines are secured.
Near-synonym: towing bitt (often coinstantial)
- 2
A similar post preventing vehicle access to a pedestrian area, to delineate traffic lanes, or used for security purposes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bollard in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bollard, bitte d'amarrage, bitte , borne |
| German | Poller, Pfahl , Absperrpoller |
| Portuguese | cabeço, ancoradouro , pilarete |
| Spanish | noray, bolardo , pilona, pivote |
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 bollard come from?
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).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).