baloney

/bəˈləʊni/

//bəˈləʊni// noun

"baloney" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“baloney” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,556 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#51,556
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of sausage; bologna.

Key facts for baloney
PropertyValue
Headwordbaloney
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bəˈləʊni/
Letters7
Frequency rank#51,556
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “baloney” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for baloney is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bəˈləʊni/. Corpus data places it at rank #51,556 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A type of sausage; bologna.".

baloney has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Phonetic spelling of bologna. The correct English form is baloney, spelled B-A-L-O-N-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of sausage; bologna.

Etymology

Phonetic spelling of bologna.

Synonyms

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); 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 "baloney"?
"baloney" is spelled B-A-L-O-N-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /bəˈləʊni/.
What does "baloney" mean?
As a noun, "baloney" means: A type of sausage; bologna.
How do you pronounce "baloney"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "baloney" is /bəˈləʊni/. 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 "baloney"?
Phonetic spelling of bologna. 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.

Using “baloney”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-L-O-N-E-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bəˈləʊni/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list