at first blush
"at-first-blush" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“at first blush” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a prep_phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Upon first impression or consideration; seemingly, apparently, ostensibly.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | at first blush |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “at first blush” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for at first blush is 14 letters long, classified as a prep_phrase. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Upon first impression or consideration; seemingly, apparently, ostensibly.".
No misspelling variants are generated for at first blush in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From an obsolete sense of blush meaning to glance at. The correct English form is at first blush, spelled A-T- -F-I-R-S-T- -B-L-U-S-H.
Definition
- 1Upon first impression or consideration; seemingly, apparently, ostensibly.
Etymology
From an obsolete sense of blush meaning to glance at.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “at first blush”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-T- -F-I-R-S-T- -B-L-U-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.