bulge

/ˈbʌldʒ/

//ˈbʌldʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bulge” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,150. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,150
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An object which is sticking out from a surface; a swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, especially when caused by pressure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bulge · bulge · English

bulge · rank #21,150 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,150
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH brewster

Nearest frequency peer: brewster (-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 “bulge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bulge” 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).

bulge vs bull
60% similar
bulge vs bulk
60% similar
bulge vs Burg
40% similar

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

Key facts for bulge
PropertyValue
Headwordbulge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌldʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#21,150
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bulge”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bulgelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “brewster” (#21,149), “branching” (#21,148), “cabaret” (#21,152). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bulge” is #21,150. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around bulge (IPA /ˈbʌldʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,150 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bulge, with forms such as "bbulge", "bluge", and "buleg". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bull", "bulk", "Burg", 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 bulge (“leather bag; hump”), from Old Northern French boulge (“leather bag”), from Late Latin bulga (“leather sack”), from Gaulish *bulga, *bulgos, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos (“sack, bag, stomach”). Cognate with bilge, belly, bellows, bud… The correct English form is bulge, spelled B-U-L-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An object which is sticking out from a surface; a swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, especially when caused by pressure.
  2. 2
    The bilge or protuberant part of a cask.
  3. 3
    A rounded fleshy mass, such as on a camel or zebu.
  4. 4
    The bilge of a vessel.
  5. 5
    The outline of the penis visible through clothing.
  6. 6
    A sudden rise in value or quantity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a bulge in a wall
  2. There was a bulge in my pocket where I kept my wallet.

Etymology

From Middle English bulge (“leather bag; hump”), from Old Northern French boulge (“leather bag”), from Late Latin bulga (“leather sack”), from Gaulish *bulga, *bulgos, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos (“sack, bag, stomach”). Cognate with bilge, belly, bellows, budget, French bouge, German Balg, etc. Doublet of budge, and from the same root as belly and bellows. See also budget.

This word in other languages

bulto(Español)bombement(Français)Ausbuchtung(Deutsch)protuberância(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbulge
  • bluge
  • buleg
  • bulgge
  • bullge
  • ublge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbulge1bluge2buleg2bulgge1bullge1ublge2
Edit distance from "bulge"

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 "bulge"?
"bulge" is spelled B-U-L-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌldʒ/.
What does "bulge" mean?
As a noun, "bulge" means: An object which is sticking out from a surface; a swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, especially when caused by pressure.
What words are commonly confused with "bulge"?
"bulge" is commonly confused with "bull", "bulk", "Burg". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bulge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bulge" is /ˈbʌldʒ/. 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 "bulge"?
From Middle English bulge (“leather bag; hump”), from Old Northern French boulge (“leather bag”), from Late Latin bulga (“leather sack”), from Gaulish *bulga, *bulgos, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos (“sack, bag, stomach”). Cognate with bilge, belly, be... 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 "bulge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

braid#21,147cuffs#21,176widen#21,113drags#21,190

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Cong6 variantsAnnette6 variantsyelp6 variantsXmas6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list