bull

/ˈbʊl/

//ˈbʊl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bull” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,005 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,005
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bull vs but
50% similar
bull vs buy
50% similar
bull vs bus
50% similar

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

Key facts for bull
PropertyValue
Headwordbull
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʊl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,005
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bull” 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). bull lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bull is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbʊl/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,005 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for bull, with forms such as "bbull", "blul", and "bul". 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, "but", "buy", "bus", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bole, bul, bule, from a conflation of Old English bula (“bull, steer”) and Old Norse boli, both from Proto-Germanic *bulô (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥no-, from *bʰel- (“to blow, swell up”). Cognate with West Frisian bolle, Du… The correct English form is bull, spelled B-U-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.
  2. 2
    An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.
  3. 3
    A male of domesticated cattle or oxen of any age.
  4. 4
    Any adult male bovine.
  5. 5
    An adult male of certain large mammals, such as whales, elephants, camels and seals.
  6. 6
    A large, strong man.
  7. 7
    An investor who buys (commodities or securities) in anticipation of a rise in prices.
  8. 8
    A policeman; a detective; a railroad security guard.
  9. 9
    An elderly lesbian.
  10. 10
    A crown coin; its value, 5 shillings.
  11. 11
    Clipping of bullseye.
  12. 12
    Clipping of bullseye.
  13. 13
    A man or boy.
  14. 14
    Clipping of bullshit.
  15. 15
    A man who has sex with someone else's partner, with the consent of both.
  16. 16
    A drink made by pouring water into a cask that previously held liquor.
  17. 17
    Beef.

Etymology

From Middle English bole, bul, bule, from a conflation of Old English bula (“bull, steer”) and Old Norse boli, both from Proto-Germanic *bulô (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥no-, from *bʰel- (“to blow, swell up”). Cognate with West Frisian bolle, Dutch bul, German Low German Bull, German Bulle, Swedish bulla; also Old Irish ball (“limb”), Latin follis (“bellows, leather bag”), Albanian bolle (“testicles”), Ancient Greek φαλλός (phallós, “penis”). Of sense 11, (a man or boy), derived from the Philadelphia English pronunciation of boy, which is practically a homophone of bull.

Synonyms

gentleman cowguydudebrocatcopcopperpigrozzer. See also Thesaurus:police officer

Antonyms

bear

This word in other languages

toro(Español)taureau(Français)Bulle(Deutsch)touro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbull,blul,bul,ubll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bull - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbull1blul2bul1ubll2
Edit distance from "bull"

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 "bull"?
"bull" is spelled B-U-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʊl/.
What does "bull" mean?
As a noun, "bull" means: An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen.
What words are commonly confused with "bull"?
"bull" is commonly confused with "but", "buy", "bus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bull"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bull" is /ˈbʊl/. 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 "bull"?
From Middle English bole, bul, bule, from a conflation of Old English bula (“bull, steer”) and Old Norse boli, both from Proto-Germanic *bulô (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥no-, from *bʰel- (“to blow, swell up”). Cognate with West Frisian... 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 “bull”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbʊl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “but” - see the side-by-side comparison. bull vs but
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list