Revised as of 17 April 2021
It was a writer saying “she was boulder than the rest…” that caused me to believe that character had a really solid physique. Although…I suppose this writer actually meant that she had more courage than the others???
This word confusion bolder versus boulder is a pair of homophones. And while that “u” doesn’t affect the pronunciation, it makes a huge difference in your reader’s perception.
If you think about it, a boulder is a bolder form of stone. And one way to distinguish between the two is to drop the -er and realize that bold is much more current than bould in terms of risk. And, that no one would ever call a rock a bould.
Well, okay, so maybe one can have a bolder boulder, a rock that really sticks out, but there’s no such thing as a boulder bolder, not without some commas, i.e., “It was a boulder, bolder than all the rest…”
Word Confusions…
…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
If you found this post on “Bolder versus Boulder” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Bolder | Boulder |
|---|---|
| Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: bold; Lexico.com: boulder | |
Friendships by ferran pestaña is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. — This bird is definitely bolder than the usual. |
Rock Boulder by Linnaea Mallette is under the CC0 license, via Public Domain Pictures.net. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective, comparative
Obsolete variant spelling: bould |
Noun; Proper Noun
Plural for the noun (only): boulders |
| When it’s a comparative, it’s always more bold, i.e., bolder
[Of a person, action, or idea] Showing an ability to take risks
Not hesitating to break the rules of propriety
Beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action
[Of a color or design] Having a strong, striking, conspicuous, or vivid appearance
Steep
[Nautical] Deep enough to be navigable close to the shore [Printing] Of a kind of typeface having dark, heavy strokes, used especially for emphasis [Obsolete] Trusting
Unduly forward and brazen
|
Noun: A large rock, typically one that has been worn smooth by erosion Proper Noun: |
| Examples: | |
| It was a bolder attempt than expected to solve the crisis.
He was bolder than the others in airing his dislike. The look she tossed him was bolder than the others. There were two coats with polka dots, but one was bolder than the other. Some typefaces allow for a bolder effect than others. Bolder than the others, he apologized for speaking to the emperor. Einstein was a bolder mathematician than so many others. It was a difficult problem needing a bolder answer. The promontory was higher, bolder, rockier than we had expected. The waters were bolder than the map had led us to believe, for which we gave thanks to the Lord. She was a bolder, sassier child than the others. |
Noun: The man was crushed when the cliff gave way and boulders showered down. Watch your step on those wet boulders. The organization said the most numerous relics were rock carvings found on boulders and outcrops. The trail narrowed, weaving round giant boulders and overhangs of smooth rock. The reverie was broken as if someone hurled a boulder into a smooth flowing stream. At 10 yards, the reef of boulders and rock gave way to a soft silt seabed covered in large patches of eelgrass. Position rocks or boulders around the posts to create added interest. Proper Noun: Boulder is a university city. Boulder is quite close to the Rocky Mountains. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: bold, boldest Adverb: boldly Noun: bold, boldness |
Adjective: bouldered, bouldery Noun: bouldering |
| History of the Word: | |
| Old English bald is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch boud and to the German bald meaning soon. | Late Middle English bulderston was shortened from the earlier boulderstone, which is from the dialectal Swedish bullersten meaning big stone (in a stream), the equivalent to buller meaning rumbling noise, from the Old Swedish bulder + sten meaning stone. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Final Stretch by James is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
