# bladder

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈblædə/ · frequency rank #12,551

## Definitions
1. A flexible sac that can expand and contract and that holds liquids or gases.
2. Specifically, the urinary bladder.
3. A hollow, inflatable organ of a plant.
4. The inflatable bag inside various balls used in sports, such as footballs and rugby balls.
5. A container in the form of a flexible bag.
6. A container in the form of a flexible bag.
7. Anything inflated, empty, or unsound.

## Etymology
From Middle English bladdre, bleddre, bladder, bledder, from Old English blæddre, a variant of blǣdre, blēdre (“blister, bladder”), from Proto-West Germanic *blādrā, from Proto-Germanic *blēdrǭ, *bladrǭ (“blister, bladder”).

## Easily confused with
- **blade** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blade)
- **blades** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blades)
- **blazer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blazer)
- **bladed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-bladed)
- **blender** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blender)
- **blunder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blunder)
- **blaster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blaster)
- **boarder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-boarder)
- **blatter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bladder-vs-blatter)
- **badger** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/badger-vs-bladder)
- **bidder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bidder-vs-bladder)
- **blacker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blacker-vs-bladder)

## Common misspellings (9)
`baldder`, `bbladder`, `bladderr`, `bladdre`, `bladedr`, `blader`, `bldader`, `blladder`, `lbadder`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bladder