bulge
/ˈbʌldʒ/noun, verb
bulge is spelled B-U-L-G-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bulge is bulges.
How many letters and syllables are in bulge?
| Letters | 5: B-U-L-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is bulge?
Bulge appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bulge?
- UK /ˈbʌldʒ/
- US /ˈbʌldʒ/
- US /ˈbʊldʒ/
Bulge has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bulge.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-bulge.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bulge?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as bulge (/ʌldʒ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: bugle.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of bulge
- bulges plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bulging participle, present
- bulged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bulge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An object which is sticking out from a surface; a swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, especially when caused by pressure.
a bulge in a wall
- 2
The bilge or protuberant part of a cask.
- 3
CommonwealthIrelandUKA rounded fleshy mass, such as on a camel or zebu.
- 4
The bilge of a vessel.
- 5
colloquialThe outline of a (usually erect) penis visible through one's clothing.
- 6
A sudden rise in value or quantity.
verb
- 1
To stick out from a surface without breaking it.
He stood six feet tall, with muscular arms bulging out of his black T-shirt.
- 2
(of a container, etc.) To have the surface stretched by something pushing out; to swell; to belly.
The submarine bulged because of the enormous air pressure inside.
- 3
To bilge, as a ship; to founder.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bulge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bombement, bosse, protubérance , bomber, déformer |
| German | Ausbuchtung, Beule, Wölbung, Delle , hervorstechen, hervortreten |
| Portuguese | protuberância, saliência, bojo , protuberar |
| Spanish | bulto, abultamiento, protuberancia , abultar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bulge come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).