ball game

/ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm/

//ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm// noun

"ball-game" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ball game” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any game played with a ball.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ball-game · ball game · English

ball game · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 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.

Key facts for ball game
PropertyValue
Headwordball game
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ball game” in English

ball gameranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ball game is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for ball game in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is ball game, spelled B-A-L-L- -G-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any game played with a ball.
  2. 2
    A specific contest or match between teams playing such a game, in particular a baseball game.
  3. 3
    A sport played in the Aztec and Mayan civilizations; Mesoamerican ballgame.
  4. 4
    Affair, issue, matter, subject, story, topic.
  5. 5
    A decisive outcome in regard to some ongoing situation; game over.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ball game appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Basketball, cricket, and football are three kinds of ball game.
  2. George and Harriet went to the stadium to see the ball game.

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

How do you spell "ball game"?
"ball game" is spelled B-A-L-L- -G-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm/.
What does "ball game" mean?
As a noun, "ball game" means: Any game played with a ball.
How do you pronounce "ball game"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ball game" is /ˈbɔːl ˌɡeɪm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ball game" come from?
"ball game" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list