pull
/pʊl/verb, interjection, noun
pull is spelled P-U-L-L: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 66 times per million words in written English, the 1,602nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, pull means “To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pull?
| Letters | 4: P-U-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 66 times per million words; the 1,602nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pull?
Pull appears 66 times per million words in written English, the 1,602nd 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 pull?
- US /pʊl/
- UK /pəl/
- /pʉl/
Pull has one syllable (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-pull.ogg, En-au-pull.ogg, LL-Q7976_(mis)-Le_Rêveur0316-pull.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pull
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with pull?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pull from its last stressed vowel (/ʊl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pull
- pulls present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- pulling participle, present
- pulled participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pull mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force.
When I give the signal, pull the rope.
- 2
To gather with the hand, or by drawing toward oneself; to pluck or pick (flowers, fruit, etc.).
to pull fruit from a tree
- 3
To attract or net; to pull in.
- 4
IrelandUKslangTo persuade (someone) to have sex with one.
I pulled at the club last night.
- 5
USslangTo interest (someone) in dating or pursuing one (whether or not this has led to sex).
Wow, Joyce pulls, actually.
- 6
To remove or withdraw (something), especially from public circulation or availability.
Each day, they pulled the old bread and set out fresh loaves.
- 7
To retrieve or look up for use.
I'll have to pull a part number for that.
- 8
To obtain (a permit) from a regulatory authority.
It's the contractor's responsibility to pull the necessary permits before starting work.
interjection
- 1
Command used by a target shooter to request that the target be released/launched.
noun
- 1
An act of pulling (applying force toward oneself).
He gave the hair a sharp pull and it came out.
- 2
An attractive force which causes motion towards the source.
The spaceship came under the pull of the gas giant.
- 3
An advantage over somebody; a means of influencing.
The hypnotist exerted a pull over his patients.
- 4
informalThe power to influence someone or something; sway, clout.
I don't have a lot of pull within the company.
- 5
Any device meant to be pulled, as a lever, knob, handle, or rope.
a zipper pull
- 6
A randomized selection from a given set.
card pull
- 7
A high-quality or funny recommendation by the algorithm.
mythical FYP pull
- 8
A player's use of a game's gacha mechanic to obtain a random reward.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pull in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tirer , retirer , tirer un coup , influence |
| German | ziehen |
| Portuguese | puxar, tirar , dar , puxada, puxão , atração |
| Spanish | tirar, jalar, chejear, tractar , tirón , halar |
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 pull come from?
Verb from Middle English pullen, from Old English pullian (“to pull, draw, tug, pluck off”), of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to West Frisian pûlje (“to shell, husk”), Middle Dutch pullen (“to drink”), Middle Dutch polen (“to peel, strip”), Low German pulen (“to pick, pluck, pull, tear, strip off husks”), Icelandic púla (“to work hard, beat”). Noun from Middle English pul, pull, pulle, from the verb pullen (“to pull”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).