bolter

/ˈbɒltə/

//ˈbɒltə// noun

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

"bolter" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bolter” is uncommon English (frequency #64,939 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,939
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or thing that bolts, or runs suddenly.

Key facts for bolter
PropertyValue
Headwordbolter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɒltə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#64,939
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bolter” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bolter lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bolter is uncommon English at frequency #64,939 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɒltə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 12 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bolter, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bolt + -er. The correct English form is bolter, spelled B-O-L-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person or thing that bolts, or runs suddenly.
  2. 2
    A plant that grows larger and more rapidly than usual.
  3. 3
    A machine or mechanism that automatically sifts milled flour.
  4. 4
    A person who sifts flour or meal.
  5. 5
    A filter mechanism.
  6. 6
    An obscure athlete who wins an upset victory.
  7. 7
    A horse that wins at long odds.
  8. 8
    In team sports, a relatively little-known or inexperienced player who inspires the team to greater success.
  9. 9
    A member of a political party who does not support the party's nominee.
  10. 10
    A missed landing on an aircraft carrier; an aircraft that has made a missed landing.
  11. 11
    A kind of fishing line; a boulter.
  12. 12
    Someone who equips a sport route by putting bolts in the rock.

Etymology

From bolt + -er.

Antonyms

trap

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 "bolter"?
"bolter" is spelled B-O-L-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒltə/.
What does "bolter" mean?
As a noun, "bolter" means: A person or thing that bolts, or runs suddenly.
How do you pronounce "bolter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolter" is /ˈbɒltə/. 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 "bolter"?
From bolt + -er. 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.

Using “bolter”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-O-L-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɒltə/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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