bushel

/ˈbʊʃəl/

//ˈbʊʃəl// noun

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

"bushel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bushel” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,357. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,357
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dry measure, containing four pecks, eight gallons, or thirty-two quarts; equivalent in volume to approximately 0.0364 cubic meters (imperial bushel) or 0.0352 cubic meters (U.S. bushel).

Corpus desk

Index EN-bushel · bushel · English

bushel · rank #37,357 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,357
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH buckwheat

Nearest frequency peer: buckwheat (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bushel”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bushel” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bushel vs bushy
67% similar
bushel vs busted
67% similar
bushel vs bushes
83% similar

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

Key facts for bushel
PropertyValue
Headwordbushel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʊʃəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,357
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bushel”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bushellands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “buckwheat” (#37,356), “busses” (#37,358), “Brownlow” (#37,355). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bushel” is #37,357. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around bushel (IPA /ˈbʊʃəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,357 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bushel, with forms such as "bbushel", "bsuhel", and "buhsel". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "bushy", "busted", "bushes", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English busshel, from Old French boissel, from boisse, a grain measure based on Gaulish *bostyā (“handful”), from Proto-Celtic *bostā (“palm, fist”) (compare Breton boz (“hollow of the hand”), Old Irish bas), from Proto-Indo-European *gwost-, *g… The correct English form is bushel, spelled B-U-S-H-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dry measure, containing four pecks, eight gallons, or thirty-two quarts; equivalent in volume to approximately 0.0364 cubic meters (imperial bushel) or 0.0352 cubic meters (U.S. bushel).
  2. 2
    A vessel of the capacity of a bushel, used in measuring; a bushel measure.
  3. 3
    A quantity that fills a bushel measure.
  4. 4
    A large indefinite quantity.
  5. 5
    The iron lining in the nave of a wheel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bushel appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The quarter, bushel, and peck are nearly universal measures of corn.
  2. Forecasts are showing no sign of an end to the drought, with corn prices hitting a record high of $8.16 (£5.19) a bushel on Thursday, while soya beans hit a high of $17.17.

Etymology

From Middle English busshel, from Old French boissel, from boisse, a grain measure based on Gaulish *bostyā (“handful”), from Proto-Celtic *bostā (“palm, fist”) (compare Breton boz (“hollow of the hand”), Old Irish bas), from Proto-Indo-European *gwost-, *gwosdʰ- (“branch”).

This word in other languages

fanega(Español)boisseau(Français)Scheffel(Deutsch)alqueire(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbushel
  • bsuhel
  • buhsel
  • busehl
  • bushell
  • bushhel
  • bushle
  • busshel
  • ubshel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bushel - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbushel1bsuhel2buhsel2busehl2bushell1bushhel1bushle2busshel1
Edit distance from "bushel"

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 "bushel"?
"bushel" is spelled B-U-S-H-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʊʃəl/.
What does "bushel" mean?
As a noun, "bushel" means: A dry measure, containing four pecks, eight gallons, or thirty-two quarts; equivalent in volume to approximately 0.0364 cubic meters (imperial bushel) or 0.0352 cubic meters (U.S. bushel).
What words are commonly confused with "bushel"?
"bushel" is commonly confused with "bushy", "busted", "bushes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bushel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bushel" is /ˈbʊʃəl/. 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 "bushel"?
From Middle English busshel, from Old French boissel, from boisse, a grain measure based on Gaulish *bostyā (“handful”), from Proto-Celtic *bostā (“palm, fist”) (compare Breton boz (“hollow of the hand”), Old Irish bas), from Proto-Indo-European *... 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 "bushel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

busses#37,358boyish#37,350bonsai#37,347bonham#37,346

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Bhopal9 variantschiffon9 variantsbarked9 variantsbantam9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list