belch

/ˈbɛltʃ/

//ˈbɛltʃ// verb

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

"belch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“belch” is uncommon English (frequency #68,863 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,863
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To expel (gas) from the stomach through the mouth; especially, to do so loudly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-belch · belch · English

belch · rank #68,863 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,863
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH behaviorist

Nearest frequency peer: behaviorist (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “belch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “belch” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for belch
PropertyValue
Headwordbelch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbɛltʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#68,863
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “belch” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).belchfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “behaviorist” (#68,862), “beechwood” (#68,860), “BCR” (#68,858). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “belch” is #68,863. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

belch is uncommon English at frequency #68,863 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbɛltʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for belch, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English belchen, from Old English bielċan, from Proto-Germanic *balkijaną, *belkaną, probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related to Dutch balken (“to bray”), Middle Low German belken (“to shout”), Low German bölken (“to shout, bark”), Old E… The correct English form is belch, spelled B-E-L-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To expel (gas) from the stomach through the mouth; especially, to do so loudly.
  2. 2
    To eject or emit (something) with spasmodic force or noise.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 'Tis not a year or two shows us a man: They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They belch us.
  2. 1746, attributed to Jonathan Swift, "A Love Poem form a Physician to his Mistress," http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14353/pg14353-images.html When I an amorous kiss design'd, I belch'd a hurricane of wind.

Etymology

From Middle English belchen, from Old English bielċan, from Proto-Germanic *balkijaną, *belkaną, probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related to Dutch balken (“to bray”), Middle Low German belken (“to shout”), Low German bölken (“to shout, bark”), Old English bealċettan (“to utter, send forth”). See also English bolk, boak.

Synonyms

burp

This word in other languages

eructar(Español)roter(Français)rülpsen(Deutsch)arrotar(Português)

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 "belch"?
"belch" is spelled B-E-L-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛltʃ/.
What does "belch" mean?
As a verb, "belch" means: To expel (gas) from the stomach through the mouth; especially, to do so loudly.
How do you pronounce "belch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "belch" is /ˈbɛltʃ/. 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 "belch"?
From Middle English belchen, from Old English bielċan, from Proto-Germanic *balkijaną, *belkaną, probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related to Dutch balken (“to bray”), Middle Low German belken (“to shout”), Low German bölken (“to shout, bar... 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 "belch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Birks#68,874Burne#68,900cento#68,914abuts#68,801

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list