ballot

/ˈbælət/

//ˈbælət// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ballot" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ballot” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,440. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,440
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ballot · ballot · English

ballot · rank #6,440 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,440
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bailey

Nearest frequency peer: bailey (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ballot”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ballot” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ballot vs blot
67% similar
ballot vs balls
67% similar
ballot vs bello
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ballot
PropertyValue
Headwordballot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbælət/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,440
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ballot”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ballotlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “bailey” (#6,439), “batteries” (#6,441), “assure” (#6,438). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “ballot” is #6,440. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ballot (IPA /ˈbælət/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,440 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ballot, with forms such as "abllot", "ballott", and "ballto". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "blot", "balls", "bello", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian balota (obsolete), ballotta (“small ball, especially one used to register a vote”), from balla (“bale, bundle”) + -otta (suffix forming diminutive nouns); or from Middle French balote (obsolete), ballotte (“small ball used to register … The correct English form is ballot, spelled B-A-L-L-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote.
  2. 2
    The process of voting, especially in secret; a round of voting.
  3. 3
    The total of all the votes cast in an election.
  4. 4
    A list of candidates running for office; a ticket.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Imagine if the outcome in Michigan is close, and 75% of Biden supporters vote absentee, yet 10% or more of those ballots are rejected.
  2. In Wyoming, a GOP state senator forwarded an FGA draft bill to Secretary of State Chuck Gray that would prohibit sending out unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian balota (obsolete), ballotta (“small ball, especially one used to register a vote”), from balla (“bale, bundle”) + -otta (suffix forming diminutive nouns); or from Middle French balote (obsolete), ballotte (“small ball used to register a vote”) (also compare Middle French balotiage, French ballottage (“second ballot, runoff”)); both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *ballu (“ball”), from Proto-Germanic *balluz (“ball”).

Synonyms

ballot papervoting slip

This word in other languages

balota(Español)bulletin de vote(Français)Stimmzettel(Deutsch)boletim(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abllot
  • ballott
  • ballto
  • balolt
  • balot
  • bballot
  • blalot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ballot - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abllot2ballott1ballto2balolt2balot1bballot1blalot2
Edit distance from "ballot"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ballot"?
"ballot" is spelled B-A-L-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbælət/.
What does "ballot" mean?
As a noun, "ballot" means: A small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote.
What words are commonly confused with "ballot"?
"ballot" is commonly confused with "blot", "balls", "bello". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ballot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ballot" is /ˈbælət/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ballot"?
Borrowed from Italian balota (obsolete), ballotta (“small ball, especially one used to register a vote”), from balla (“bale, bundle”) + -otta (suffix forming diminutive nouns); or from Middle French balote (obsolete), ballotte (“small ball used to... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ballot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bailey#6,439assure#6,438wounds#6,428valued#6,427

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

cheat7 variantsChile7 variantsdemon7 variantselder7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list