# pulsar

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #41,829

## Definitions
1. A rotating neutron star that emits radio pulses periodically.

## Etymology
Blend of pulsating + (radio) star, patterned after quasar. Coined by British astronomers Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell in 1968, and first used in print in The Daily Telegraph. By surface analysis, pulse + -ar

## Easily confused with
- **pulse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pulsar-vs-pulse)
- **pulses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pulsar-vs-pulses)
- **pulsed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pulsar-vs-pulsed)
- **polar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/polar-vs-pulsar)
- **pilar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pilar-vs-pulsar)
- **pillar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pillar-vs-pulsar)
- **puller** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puller-vs-pulsar)

## Common misspellings (9)
`plusar`, `ppulsar`, `pulasr`, `pullsar`, `pulsarr`, `pulsra`, `pulssar`, `puslar`, `uplsar`

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