ballast
/ˈbæl.əst/noun, verb
ballast is spelled B-A-L-L-A-S-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ballast means “Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ballast is ballasts.
How many letters and syllables are in ballast?
| Letters | 7: B-A-L-L-A-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,536th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ballast?
Ballast appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ballast?
- US /ˈbæl.əst/
Ballast has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ballast.wav, En-us-ballast.ogg, En-au-ballast.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ballast
- ballasts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ballasting participle, present
- ballasted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ballast mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
- 2
Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
- 3
Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete; track ballast.
- 4
A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
- 5
Loose stone or big gravel used to hold rails and tracks in place.
- 6
device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g. in a tube lamp supply circuit)
- 7
That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
verb
- 1
To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.
- 2
To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.
- 3
To weigh down with a ballast.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ballast in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lest , remblai, ballast , ballaster |
| German | Ballast , Bettung, Schotter , beschottern |
| Portuguese | lastro , balastro |
| Spanish | lastre , balastro, balasto , lastrar , balastra |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ballast come from?
From Middle English bar (“bare”) + last (“load”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).