bolus

/ˈbəʊləs/

//ˈbəʊləs// noun

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

"bolus" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bolus” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,942. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,942
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A round mass of something, especially of chewed food in the mouth or alimentary canal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bolus · bolus · English

bolus · rank #46,942 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,942
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Boers

Nearest frequency peer: Boers (-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 “bolus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bolus” 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).

bolus vs bus
60% similar
bolus vs boys
60% similar
bolus vs boss
60% similar

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

Key facts for bolus
PropertyValue
Headwordbolus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbəʊləs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#46,942
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bolus”

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).boluslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Boers” (#46,941), “Boden” (#46,940), “bloat” (#46,939). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bolus” is #46,942. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around bolus (IPA /ˈbəʊləs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,942 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bolus, with forms such as "bbolus", "blous", and "bollus". 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, "bus", "boys", "boss", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin bōlus (“clod of earth, lump”), plural bōlī, from Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod, lump”). Doublet of bole. The correct English form is bolus, spelled B-O-L-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A round mass of something, especially of chewed food in the mouth or alimentary canal.
  2. 2
    A single, large dose of a drug, especially one in that form.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I gave him a bolus, twice the size of a gooseberry.

Etymology

From Late Latin bōlus (“clod of earth, lump”), plural bōlī, from Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod, lump”). Doublet of bole.

This word in other languages

bolo alimenticio(Español)bol(Français)bolo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbolus
  • blous
  • bollus
  • bolsu
  • boluss
  • bouls
  • oblus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbolus1blous2bollus1bolsu2boluss1bouls2oblus2
Edit distance from "bolus"

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 "bolus"?
"bolus" is spelled B-O-L-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbəʊləs/.
What does "bolus" mean?
As a noun, "bolus" means: A round mass of something, especially of chewed food in the mouth or alimentary canal.
What words are commonly confused with "bolus"?
"bolus" is commonly confused with "bus", "boys", "boss". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bolus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bolus" is /ˈbəʊləs/. 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 "bolus"?
From Late Latin bōlus (“clod of earth, lump”), plural bōlī, from Ancient Greek βῶλος (bôlos, “clod, lump”). Doublet of bole. 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 "bolus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Boers#46,941Boden#46,940bloat#46,939biter#46,936

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

bursa7 variantsbusta7 variantsCroker7 variantscrone7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list