bolo

/ˈbəʊ.ləʊ/

//ˈbəʊ.ləʊ// noun

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

"bolo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bolo” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,552. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,552
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long, heavy, single-edged machete.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bolo · bolo · English

bolo · rank #42,552 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,552
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bodyweight

Nearest frequency peer: bodyweight (-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 “bolo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bolo” 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).

bolo vs boy
50% similar
bolo vs box
50% similar
bolo vs bro
50% similar

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

Key facts for bolo
PropertyValue
Headwordbolo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbəʊ.ləʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#42,552
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bolo”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bololands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “bodyweight” (#42,551), “bookie” (#42,553), “BMP” (#42,550). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bolo” is #42,552. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around bolo (IPA /ˈbəʊ.ləʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,552 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for bolo, with forms such as "bbolo", "bloo", and "bollo". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "boy", "box", "bro", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo. The correct English form is bolo, spelled B-O-L-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, heavy, single-edged machete.
  2. 2
    A type of punch; an uppercut.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He jerked me off balance and the hand with the brass knucks came around in a looping bolo punch.

Etymology

From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbolo
  • bloo
  • bollo
  • bool
  • oblo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bolo - 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.

bbolo1bloo2bollo1bool2oblo2
Edit distance from "bolo"

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 "bolo"?
"bolo" is spelled B-O-L-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbəʊ.ləʊ/.
What does "bolo" mean?
As a noun, "bolo" means: A long, heavy, single-edged machete.
What words are commonly confused with "bolo"?
"bolo" is commonly confused with "boy", "box", "bro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bolo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolo" is /ˈbəʊ.ləʊ/. 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 "bolo"?
From Philippine Spanish bolo, from Tagalog bolo. 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 "bolo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bowe#42,557bade#42,539Arlo#42,526APEC#42,524

Similar misspelling depth

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

Wagga5 variantsTami5 variantsGini5 variantskaka5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list