bulkhead
/ˈbʌlk.hɛd/noun
bulkhead is spelled B-U-L-K-H-E-A-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bulkhead means “A vertical partition dividing the hull into separate compartments; often made watertight to prevent excessive flooding if the ship's hull is breached” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bulkhead is bulkheads.
How many letters and syllables are in bulkhead?
| Letters | 8: B-U-L-K-H-E-A-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is bulkhead?
Bulkhead appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th 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 bulkhead?
- /ˈbʌlk.hɛd/
Bulkhead has 2 syllables (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: En-us-bulkhead.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bulkhead
- bulkheads plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bulkhead mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A vertical partition dividing the hull into separate compartments; often made watertight to prevent excessive flooding if the ship's hull is breached.
- 2
A similar partition in an aircraft or spacecraft, or some rail vehicles.
- 3
A partition or panel through which connectors pass, or a connector designed to pass through a partition.
- 4
A pressure-resistant sealed barrier to any fluid in a large structure.
- 5
A retaining wall along a waterfront.
- 6
A cellar hatchway.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate bulkhead?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of bulkhead: blkd..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bulkhead in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 bulkhead come from?
From Old Norse bálkr (“partition”) + head, anglicised as bulk + head.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).