# ballast vs blast

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### ballast
*noun · IPA /ˈbæl.əst/ · frequency rank #23,471*
Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.

### blast
*noun · IPA /blɑːst/ · frequency rank #4,140*
A violent gust of wind (in windy weather) or apparent wind (around a moving vehicle).

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