Bloc or block?
bloc is a noun meaning “A group of voters or politicians who share common goals”; block is a noun meaning “A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance”. They sound the same (/blɒk/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) block is about 19 times as common as bloc.
What is the difference between bloc and block?
| bloc | block | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Meaning | A group of voters or politicians who share common goals A group of countries acting together for political or economic goals, an alliance | A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass |
| Example | military bloc | a block of ice; a block of stone |
| Forms | blocs | blocks |
| Pronunciation | /blɒk/ /blɑk/ | /blɒk/ /blɑk/ |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words | 76 times per million words |
Sources: bloc and block in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of bloc and block
bloc
- 1
A group of voters or politicians who share common goals
- 2
A group of countries acting together for political or economic goals, an alliance
military bloc
block
- 1
A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance
a block of ice; a block of stone
- 2
To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass
The pipe was blocked by leaves
- 3
A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading
Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution
- 4
To prevent (something or someone) from passing
A broken-down car is blocking the traffic
- 5
A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn
- 6
To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something)
His plan to take over the business was blocked by the boss
- 7
A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped
- 8
To impede (an opponent or opponent’s play)
He blocked the basketball player’s shot
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, bloc or block?
bloc appears 4.0 times per million words; block 76 times per million words.
bloc 4.0 times per million wordsblock 76 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search bloc vs block?
“bloc vs block” is searched about 260 times a month on Google and 20 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“block vs bloc”, “bloc or block”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.