bafflement
/ˈbaf(ə)lmənt/
"bafflement" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bafflement” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The result or state of being baffled, confused, or puzzled.
Corpus desk
Index EN-bafflement · bafflement · English
bafflement · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" 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 | bafflement |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbaf(ə)lmənt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “bafflement” in English
Rare enough to double-check
bafflement is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbaf(ə)lmənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for bafflement in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From baffle + -ment. The correct English form is bafflement, spelled B-A-F-F-L-E-M-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1The result or state of being baffled, confused, or puzzled.
- 2Something that causes a state of confusion or puzzlement.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how bafflement appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Have you any theory about this occurrence to-night?" She watched him eagerly as she asked the question. He made a gesture of bafflement. "None whatever—it's beyond me," he confessed.
The error here is to confuse British composure with the appearance of bafflement, embarrassment and reserve.
Etymology
From baffle + -ment.
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.