bullet
/ˈbʊlɪt/noun, verb
bullet is spelled B-U-L-L-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bullet means “A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bullet is bullets.
How many letters and syllables are in bullet?
| Letters | 6: B-U-L-L-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,752nd 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 bullet?
Bullet appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd 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 bullet?
- US /ˈbʊlɪt/
- British /ˈbɵlɪt/
- /ˈbʊlət/
Bullet 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-bullet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bullet
- bullets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bulleting participle, present
- bulleted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bullet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
- 2
informalAn entire round of unfired ammunition for a firearm, including the projectile, the cartridge casing, the propellant charge, etc.
- 3
Ammunition for a sling or slingshot which has been manufactured for such use.
- 4
A printed symbol in the form of a solid circle ⟨•⟩, often used to mark items in a list.
- 5
A large scheduled repayment of the principal of a loan; a balloon payment.
- 6
A rejection letter, as for employment, admission to a school or a competition.
John's not going to any of his top schools; he got a bullet from the last of them yesterday.
- 7
slangOne year of prison time.
- 8
slangAn ace (the playing card).
- 9
rareA young or little bull; a male calf.
verb
- 1
informalTo draw attention to (text) by, or as if by, placing a graphic bullet in front of it.
- 2
informalTo speed, like a bullet.
Their debut started slow, but bulleted to number six in its fourth week.
- 3
informalTo make a shot, especially with great speed.
He bulleted a header for his first score of the season.
- 4
rareslangTo inflict bullet shots upon.
- 5
slangTo fire from a job; to dismiss.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bullet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | balle, projectile , puce |
| German | Kugel, Ball, Projektil, Flugkörper , Aufzählungszeichen |
| Portuguese | bala, projéctil |
| Spanish | bala, proyectil , topo, bolo |
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 bullet come from?
From Middle English bullet (“an official tag or badge of registration or identification”), from Old French bullete, diminutive of boule (“ball”). Later influenced by Middle French boulette and French boulet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).