balderdash
/ˈbɔːldə.dæʃ/
"balderdash" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“balderdash” 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) - Senseless talk or writing; nonsense.
Corpus desk
Index EN-balderdash · balderdash · English
balderdash · 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 | balderdash |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɔːldə.dæʃ/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “balderdash” in English
Rare enough to double-check
balderdash is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɔːldə.dæʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for balderdash, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown, possibly from the early English drink of wine mixed with beer or water or other substances that was sold cheaply. The correct English form is balderdash, spelled B-A-L-D-E-R-D-A-S-H.
Definition
- 1Senseless talk or writing; nonsense.
- 2A worthless mixture, especially of liquors.
- 3Obscene language or writing.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how balderdash appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Where, you cried in the name of Wonder, have you been able to gather together such an old fashioned Bundlement of Scientific Balderdash?
[He] has the audacity to demand of us, for this twattle, a ‘speedy insertion and prompt pay.’ We neither insert nor purchase any stuff of the sort. There can be no doubt, however, that he would meet with a ready sale for all the balderdash he can scribble, at the office of either the ‘Rowdy-Dow,’ the ‘Lollipop,’ or the ‘Goosetherumfoodle.’
Etymology
Unknown, possibly from the early English drink of wine mixed with beer or water or other substances that was sold cheaply.
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.