bool

noun

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

The verdict

“bool” is uncommon English (frequency #56,624 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,624
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Boolean variable (one whose value is either true or false).

Key facts for bool
PropertyValue
Headwordbool
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#56,624
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bool” 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). bool 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

bool is uncommon English at frequency #56,624 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A Boolean variable (one whose value is either true or false).".

bool has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a keyword in C++ and derived programming languages, short for Boolean. The correct English form is bool, spelled B-O-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Boolean variable (one whose value is either true or false).

Etymology

From a keyword in C++ and derived programming languages, short for Boolean.

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 "bool"?
"bool" is spelled B-O-O-L.
What does "bool" mean?
As a noun, "bool" means: A Boolean variable (one whose value is either true or false).
What is the origin of the word "bool"?
From a keyword in C++ and derived programming languages, short for Boolean. 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 “bool”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-O-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list