boost
/buːst/
"boost" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“boost” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,545 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #3,545
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A push from behind or below, as to one who is endeavoring to climb.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | boost |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /buːst/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #3,545 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “boost” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for boost is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /buːst/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,545 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for boost, with forms such as "bboost", "boosst", and "boostt". 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, "bot", "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: Unknown. The verb is first recorded 1815; the noun, 1825. Compare Scots boost (“to move; drive off; shoo away”), bost, boast (“to threaten; scold”), Middle English boosten, bosten (“to threaten”). Possible doublet of boast. The correct English form is boost, spelled B-O-O-S-T.
Definition
- 1A push from behind or below, as to one who is endeavoring to climb.
- 2Something that helps, or adds power or effectiveness; assistance.
- 3A coordinate transformation that changes velocity.
- 4A positive intake manifold pressure in cars with turbochargers or superchargers.
Etymology
Unknown. The verb is first recorded 1815; the noun, 1825. Compare Scots boost (“to move; drive off; shoo away”), bost, boast (“to threaten; scold”), Middle English boosten, bosten (“to threaten”). Possible doublet of boast.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bboost,boosst,boostt,bosot,bost,obost
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of boost - 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.
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
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Using “boost”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-O-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /buːst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “bot” - see the side-by-side comparison. boost vs bot
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.