blogvsblowWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: blog is a noun, blow is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“blog” is a noun and “blow” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,890
“blog” frequency rank
#2,516
“blow” frequency rank
4406
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature blog blow
Definition A website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal, sometimes letting readers comment on their posts. Most blogs are written in a slightly informal tone (personal journals, news, businesses, etc.) To produce an air current.

Where the eye mixes blog and blow

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
blog
4 ch
blow

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: blog is /blɒɡ/ while blow is /bləʊ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - g in “blog” becomes w in “blow”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4406, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

blog is recorded at frequency rank #1,890, classified as anoun, pronounced /blɒɡ/. blow is at rank #2,516, tagged as averb, pronounced /bləʊ/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 4406, this pair ranks #519,045 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of blog vs blow

Shared letters: blo. Private to "blog": g. Private to "blow": w.

"blog" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "blow" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • blogbblog · blgo · bllog · blogg · bolg · lbog
  • blowbblow · bllow · bloww · blwo · lbow

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "blog" and "blow" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "blog" is a noun and "blow" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "blog" or "blow"?
"blog" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,890 in our English list, against #2,516 for "blow". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list