bolster

/ˈbɒlstə/

//ˈbɒlstə// noun

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

"bolster" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bolster” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,274. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,274
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bolster · bolster · English

bolster · rank #19,274 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,274
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Blackwell

Nearest frequency peer: Blackwell (-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 “bolster”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bolster” 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).

bolster vs buster
71% similar
bolster vs bolted
71% similar
bolster vs bowser
71% similar

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

Key facts for bolster
PropertyValue
Headwordbolster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɒlstə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,274
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bolster”

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).bolsterlands 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 “Blackwell” (#19,273), “bray” (#19,275), “biopsy” (#19,272). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bolster” is #19,274. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around bolster (IPA /ˈbɒlstə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,274 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bolster, with forms such as "bbolster", "bloster", and "bollster". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "buster", "bolted", "bowser", 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 Middle English bolster, bolstre, from Old English bolster (“pillow”), from Proto-West Germanic *bolstr, from Proto-Germanic *bulstraz (“pillow, cushion”). Cognate with Scots bowster (“bolster”), West Frisian bulster (“mattress”), Dutch bolster (“husk, … The correct English form is bolster, spelled B-O-L-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.
  2. 2
    A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support part of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a compress.
  3. 3
    A small spacer located on top of the axle of horse-drawn wagons that gives the front wheels enough clearance to turn.
  4. 4
    A short, horizontal structural timber between a post and a beam for enlarging the bearing area of the post and/or reducing the span of the beam.
  5. 5
    A beam in the middle of a railway truck, supporting the body of the car.
  6. 6
    The perforated plate in a punching machine on which anything rests when being punched.
  7. 7
    The part of a knife blade that abuts upon the end of the handle.
  8. 8
    The metallic end of a pocketknife handle.
  9. 9
    The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital.
  10. 10
    A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation.
  11. 11
    That which supports or promotes; a catalyst.
  12. 12
    A wide-bladed cold chisel designed to split and shape bricks.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, / This way the coverlet, another way the sheets.
  2. ["]Don't you know how [Joseph Mallord William] Turner spoils his pictures by introducing a man like a bolster in the foreground? Well, in actual life every landscape is spoilt by men of worse shapes still." / "You sound like a bolster with the stuffing out." They laughed.

Etymology

From Middle English bolster, bolstre, from Old English bolster (“pillow”), from Proto-West Germanic *bolstr, from Proto-Germanic *bulstraz (“pillow, cushion”). Cognate with Scots bowster (“bolster”), West Frisian bulster (“mattress”), Dutch bolster (“husk, shell”), German Polster (“bolster, pillow, pad”), Swedish bolster (“soft mattress, bolster”), Icelandic bólstur (“pillow”).

This word in other languages

cabecera(Español)traversin(Français)Polster(Deutsch)travesseiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbolster
  • bloster
  • bollster
  • bolsetr
  • bolsster
  • bolsterr
  • bolstre
  • bolstter
  • boltser
  • boslter
  • oblster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bolster - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbolster1bloster2bollster1bolsetr2bolsster1bolsterr1bolstre2bolstter1
Edit distance from "bolster"

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 "bolster"?
"bolster" is spelled B-O-L-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒlstə/.
What does "bolster" mean?
As a noun, "bolster" means: A large cushion or pillow, usually cylindrical in shape.
What words are commonly confused with "bolster"?
"bolster" is commonly confused with "buster", "bolted", "bowser". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bolster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolster" is /ˈbɒlstə/. 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 "bolster"?
From Middle English bolster, bolstre, from Old English bolster (“pillow”), from Proto-West Germanic *bolstr, from Proto-Germanic *bulstraz (“pillow, cushion”). Cognate with Scots bowster (“bolster”), West Frisian bulster (“mattress”), Dutch bolste... 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 "bolster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Caitlin#19,277bastion#19,269canning#19,280chopper#19,286

Similar misspelling depth

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

Beaumont11 variantscohesive11 variantsWilkins11 variantsWatford11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list