bullhead

/ˈbʌlˌhɛd/

//ˈbʌlˌhɛd// noun

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

"bullhead" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bullhead” is uncommon English (frequency #79,345 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,345
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - any of a variety of related species of generally dark-colored catfish in the family Ictaluridae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bullhead · bullhead · English

bullhead · rank #79,345 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,345
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bulldozing

Nearest frequency peer: bulldozing (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “bullhead”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bullhead” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bullhead
PropertyValue
Headwordbullhead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌlˌhɛd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#79,345
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bullhead” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bullheadfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “bulldozing” (#79,344), “bundt” (#79,347), “brr” (#79,342). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bullhead” is #79,345. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bullhead is uncommon English at frequency #79,345 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbʌlˌhɛd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for bullhead in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bull + head. The correct English form is bullhead, spelled B-U-L-L-H-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    any of a variety of related species of generally dark-colored catfish in the family Ictaluridae.
  2. 2
    any of a variety of related species of generally dark-colored catfish in the family Ictaluridae.
  3. 3
    any of a variety of related species of generally dark-colored catfish in the family Ictaluridae.
  4. 4
    Any of various sculpins of the suborder Scorpaenoidei
  5. 5
    The European bullhead, Cottus gobio.
  6. 6
    A fish of species Gobiomorphus gobioides.
  7. 7
    A bullhead shark (Heterodontus spp.).
  8. 8
    An obstinate person.
  9. 9
    A bullhead rail.
  10. 10
    A chronograph (watch or stopwatch) with two push buttons arranged like the horns of a bull on the top end of the case, typically with the crown between them.

Etymology

From bull + head.

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 "bullhead"?
"bullhead" is spelled B-U-L-L-H-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌlˌhɛd/.
What does "bullhead" mean?
As a noun, "bullhead" means: any of a variety of related species of generally dark-colored catfish in the family Ictaluridae.
How do you pronounce "bullhead"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bullhead" is /ˈbʌlˌhɛd/. 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 "bullhead"?
From bull + head. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bullhead", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Brinkman#79,339Calvados#79,354Brahmana#79,332capybara#79,359

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list