balm

/bɑːm/

//bɑːm// noun

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

"balm" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“balm” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,852. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,852
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.

Corpus desk

Index EN-balm · balm · English

balm · rank #20,852 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,852
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ballard

Nearest frequency peer: Ballard (-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 “balm”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “balm” 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).

balm vs BL
0% similar
balm vs BM
0% similar
balm vs bar
50% similar

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

Key facts for balm
PropertyValue
Headwordbalm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɑːm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#20,852
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “balm”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).balmlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Ballard” (#20,851), “Balkans” (#20,850), “biennial” (#20,854). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “balm” is #20,852. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around balm (IPA /bɑːm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,852 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for balm, with forms such as "ablm", "ballm", and "balmm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "BL", "BM", "bar", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English bawme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French baume, from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum, itself from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon). Spelling modified 16th c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of balsam an… The correct English form is balm, spelled B-A-L-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
  2. 2
    An aromatic preparation for embalming the dead.
  3. 3
    A plant or tree yielding such substance.
  4. 4
    Any soothing oil or lotion, especially an aromatic one.
  5. 5
    Something soothing.
  6. 6
    The lemon balm, Melissa officinalis.
  7. 7
    Any of a number of other aromatic herbs with a similar citrus-like scent, such as bee balm and horsebalm.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Classical music is a sweet balm for our sorrows.
  2. BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled waves, high as Jove's roof; / Your incivility doth ſhow, / That innocence is tempeſt proof; / Though ſurly Nereus frown, my thoughts are calm; / Then ſtrike, Affliction, for thy wounds are balm. [Attributed to Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704).]

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English bawme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French baume, from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum, itself from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon). Spelling modified 16th c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of balsam and desman.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ablm
  • ballm
  • balmm
  • baml
  • bbalm
  • blam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ablm2ballm1balmm1baml2bbalm1blam2
Edit distance from "balm"

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 "balm"?
"balm" is spelled B-A-L-M. The IPA pronunciation is /bɑːm/.
What does "balm" mean?
As a noun, "balm" means: Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
What words are commonly confused with "balm"?
"balm" is commonly confused with "BL", "BM", "bar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "balm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "balm" is /bɑːm/. 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 "balm"?
Inherited from Middle English bawme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French baume, from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum, itself from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon). Spelling modified 16th c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of... 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 "balm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bona#20,858bony#20,859anus#20,835alum#20,832

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

veggie6 variantsDonny6 variantseased6 variantssped6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list