blame

/bleɪm/

//bleɪm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“blame” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,330. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,330
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Censure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blame · blame · English

blame · rank #2,330 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,330
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bird

Nearest frequency peer: bird (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “blame”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “blame” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

blame vs BLM
0% similar
blame vs BLE
0% similar
blame vs blue
60% similar

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

Key facts for blame
PropertyValue
Headwordblame
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bleɪm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,330
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blame” 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). blame lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around blame (IPA /bleɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,330 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for blame, with forms such as "balme", "bblame", and "blaem". 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, "BLM", "BLE", "blue", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blame, borrowed from Old French blame, blasme, produced from the verb blasmer, which in turn is derived from Late Latin blastēmāre, variant of blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blaspheme. Displaced native… The correct English form is blame, spelled B-L-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Censure.
  2. 2
    Culpability for something negative or undesirable.
  3. 3
    Responsibility for something meriting censure.
  4. 4
    A source control feature that can show which user was responsible for a particular portion of the source code.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Blame came from all directions.
  2. The blame for starting the fire lies with the arsonist.

Etymology

From Middle English blame, borrowed from Old French blame, blasme, produced from the verb blasmer, which in turn is derived from Late Latin blastēmāre, variant of blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blaspheme. Displaced native Old English tǣling (“blame”) and tǣlan (“to blame”).

This word in other languages

culpa(Español)blâme(Français)Schuld(Deutsch)culpa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balme
  • bblame
  • blaem
  • blamme
  • bllame
  • blmae
  • lbame

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blame - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

balme2bblame1blaem2blamme1bllame1blmae2lbame2
Edit distance from "blame"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "blame"?
"blame" is spelled B-L-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bleɪm/.
What does "blame" mean?
As a noun, "blame" means: Censure.
What words are commonly confused with "blame"?
"blame" is commonly confused with "BLM", "BLE", "blue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blame"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blame" is /bleɪm/. 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 "blame"?
From Middle English blame, borrowed from Old French blame, blasme, produced from the verb blasmer, which in turn is derived from Late Latin blastēmāre, variant of blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blaspheme. Displa... 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 "blame", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

votes#2,324truck#2,323dying#2,340falls#2,344

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

causes7 variantssmile7 variantsfalse7 variantsphase7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "blame". Here's where to go from here.

  • "blame" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "BLM". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,330 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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