bilge

/bɪld͡ʒ/

//bɪld͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bilge” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,058. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,058
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bilge · bilge · English

bilge · rank #43,058 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,058
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bight

Nearest frequency peer: bight (-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 “bilge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bilge” 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).

bilge vs BLE
0% similar
bilge vs bill
60% similar
bilge vs blue
60% similar

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

Key facts for bilge
PropertyValue
Headwordbilge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɪld͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#43,058
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bilge”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “bight” (#43,057), “biohazard” (#43,059), “Bernal” (#43,055). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bilge” is #43,058. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around bilge (IPA /bɪld͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,058 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bilge, with forms such as "bbilge", "bigle", and "bileg". 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, "BLE", "bill", "blue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Likely derived from bulge. Compare Middle English bulgen (“to ground or scuttle a ship”). The correct English form is bilge, spelled B-I-L-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.
  2. 2
    The lowest inner part of a ship's hull, where water accumulates.
  3. 3
    The water accumulated in the bilge; bilge water.
  4. 4
    Stupid talk or writing; nonsense.
  5. 5
    The bulging part of a barrel or cask.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. complete bilge
  2. "The whole thing is the most absolute bilge and a disgrace to our legislature."

Etymology

Likely derived from bulge. Compare Middle English bulgen (“to ground or scuttle a ship”).

This word in other languages

sentina(Español)fond de cale(Français)Bilge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbilge
  • bigle
  • bileg
  • bilgge
  • billge
  • iblge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bilge - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbilge1bigle2bileg2bilgge1billge1iblge2
Edit distance from "bilge"

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 "bilge"?
"bilge" is spelled B-I-L-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪld͡ʒ/.
What does "bilge" mean?
As a noun, "bilge" means: The rounded portion of a ship's hull, forming a transition between the bottom and the sides.
What words are commonly confused with "bilge"?
"bilge" is commonly confused with "BLE", "bill", "blue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bilge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bilge" is /bɪld͡ʒ/. 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 "bilge"?
Likely derived from bulge. Compare Middle English bulgen (“to ground or scuttle a ship”). 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 "bilge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bight#43,057bonne#43,063Asada#43,037codec#43,084

Similar misspelling depth

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

Bissau6 variantsChoy6 variantsAmato6 variantscoyne6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list