at first blush
"at-first-blush" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“at first blush” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Upon first impression or consideration; seemingly, apparently, ostensibly.
Corpus desk
Index EN-at-first-blush · at first blush · English
at first blush · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 14 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “at first blush” in English
Rare enough to double-check
at first blush is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how at first blush appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The finer and more distinctive features of a land require deep study and long acquaintance, but the broader traits of nationality are caught in an instant, or not caught at all. Familiarity with, destroys them, and it is only at first blush that we learn to appreciate them with force.
At first blush it appears rather strange to consider for even a moment the possibility that corporate financial and business disclosure rises to the dignity of speech protected by the First Amendment.
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.