bilk

/bɪlk/

//bɪlk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bilk” is uncommon English (frequency #87,075 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,075
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bilk · bilk · English

bilk · rank #87,075 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,075
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bigge

Nearest frequency peer: bigge (-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 “bilk”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bilk
PropertyValue
Headwordbilk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɪlk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#87,075
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bilk” 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).bilkfalls 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: “bigge” (#87,074), “biodegradation” (#87,076), “bidi” (#87,073). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bilk” is #87,075. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bilk is uncommon English at frequency #87,075 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bɪlk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for bilk in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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: Uncertain; perhaps a variant form of balk. The correct English form is bilk, spelled B-I-L-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.
  2. 2
    A deception, a hoax.
  3. 3
    A cheat or swindler.

Etymology

Uncertain; perhaps a variant form of balk.

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 "bilk"?
"bilk" is spelled B-I-L-K. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪlk/.
What does "bilk" mean?
As a noun, "bilk" means: The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.
How do you pronounce "bilk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bilk" is /bɪlk/. 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 "bilk"?
Uncertain; perhaps a variant form of balk. 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 "bilk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bidi#87,073blag#87,086Buna#87,103Buri#87,105

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list