bolt

/bɒlt/

//bɒlt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bolt” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,659. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,659
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 (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on t...

Corpus desk

Index EN-bolt · bolt · English

bolt · rank #6,659 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,659
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH blows

Nearest frequency peer: blows (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “bolt”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bolt” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

bolt vs Bt
25% similar
bolt vs but
50% similar
bolt vs boy
50% similar

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

Key facts for bolt
PropertyValue
Headwordbolt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɒlt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,659
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bolt” sits in English frequency

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).boltlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “blows” (#6,658), “brooks” (#6,660), “blonde” (#6,657). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around bolt (IPA /bɒlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,659 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for bolt, with forms such as "bbolt", "bollt", and "boltt". 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, "Bt", "but", "boy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Proto-West Germanic *bolt, from Proto-Germanic *bultaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld- (“to knock, strike”). Compare Lithuanian beldu (“I knock”), baldas (“pole for striking”). Akin to Dutch an… The correct English form is bolt, spelled B-O-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on the other end; a heavy machine screw.
  2. 2
    Latch-related senses
  3. 3
    Latch-related senses
  4. 4
    Latch-related senses
  5. 5
    An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter.
  6. 6
    A stalk or scape (of garlic, onion, etc).
  7. 7
    A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth.
  8. 8
    A large roll of fabric or similar material, as a bolt of cloth.
  9. 9
    Senses involving sudden movement
  10. 10
    Senses involving sudden movement
  11. 11
    Senses involving sudden movement
  12. 12
    Senses involving sudden movement
  13. 13
    Senses involving sudden movement
  14. 14
    Senses involving sudden movement
  15. 15
    Senses involving sudden movement

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was the noise of a bolt shot back, and the door opened a few inches, enough to show a long snout and a pair of sleepy blinking eyes.
  2. He shall to prison, and there die in boults.

Etymology

From Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Proto-West Germanic *bolt, from Proto-Germanic *bultaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld- (“to knock, strike”). Compare Lithuanian beldu (“I knock”), baldas (“pole for striking”). Akin to Dutch and West Frisian bout, German Bolz or Bolzen, Danish bolt, Swedish bult, Icelandic bolti. The association of thunder and lightning with 'bolts' is found back into prehistory in many cultures, at least in Eurasia. It comes from the long-standing widespread belief that lightning was caused by bolts, darts, or stones hurtling down from the sky to the earth. This belief was still regarded as commonplace until at least 1929.

This word in other languages

tornillo(Español)boulon(Français)Schraube(Deutsch)ferrolho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbolt
  • bollt
  • boltt
  • botl
  • oblt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bolt - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbolt1bollt1boltt1botl2oblt2
Edit distance from "bolt"

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 "bolt"?
"bolt" is spelled B-O-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /bɒlt/.
What does "bolt" mean?
As a noun, "bolt" means: A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body that is threaded, with a larger head on one end. It can be inserted into an unthreaded hole up to the head, with a nut then threaded on t...
What words are commonly confused with "bolt"?
"bolt" is commonly confused with "Bt", "but", "boy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bolt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolt" is /bɒlt/. 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 "bolt"?
From Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Proto-West Germanic *bolt, from Proto-Germanic *bultaz, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeld- (“to knock, strike”). Compare Lithuanian beldu (“I knock”), baldas (“pole for striking”). Akin t... 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 "bolt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bugs#6,661bust#6,662cope#6,668eBay#6,678

Similar misspelling depth

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

echo5 variantsJesse5 variantsrats5 variantsOwen5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "bolt". Here's where to go from here.

  • "bolt" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Bt". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,659 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list