# bullet

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbʊl.ɪt/ · frequency rank #4,741

## Definitions
1. A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
2. An 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.
7. One year of prison time.
8. An ace (the playing card).
9. Anything that is projected extremely fast.
10. Very fast (speedy).
11. Ellipsis of bullet chess.
12. A plumb or sinker.
13. The heavy projectile thrown in a game of road bowling.
14. A roughly bullet-shaped sweet consisting of a cylinder of liquorice covered in chocolate.
15. A small ball.
16. A cannonball.
17. The fetlock of a horse.
18. The best workout time at a track on a given day at a specific distance, traditionally marked by a printer's bullet.
19. A notation used on pop music charts to indicate that a song is climbing in the rankings.
20. Ellipsis of bullet vibrator.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **bulls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bulls)
- **bully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bully)
- **butler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-butler)
- **burley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-burley)
- **burnet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-burnet)
- **bullets** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bullets)
- **bullied** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bullied)
- **bullies** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bullies)
- **bullpen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bullpen)
- **bulletin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bullet-vs-bulletin)
- **bull** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bull-vs-bullet)
- **built** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/built-vs-bullet)
- **belle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belle-vs-bullet)
- **bulge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bulge-vs-bullet)
- **bugle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bugle-vs-bullet)
- **budget** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/budget-vs-bullet)
- **bucket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bucket-vs-bullet)
- **ballot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ballot-vs-bullet)
- **ballet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ballet-vs-bullet)
- **billed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/billed-vs-bullet)

## Common misspellings (7)
`bbullet`, `blulet`, `bulelt`, `bulet`, `bullett`, `bullte`, `ubllet`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bullet