# blame

> English word · Noun · IPA /bleɪm/ · frequency rank #2,330

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

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **BLM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blm)
- **BLE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-ble)
- **blue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blue)
- **Blum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blum)
- **brave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-brave)
- **blast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blast)
- **blank** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blank)
- **brake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-brake)
- **brace** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-brace)
- **blaze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blaze)
- **bloke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-bloke)
- **bland** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-bland)
- **blanc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blanc)
- **blimp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blimp)
- **blige** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blige)
- **blamed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blamed)
- **blames** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blames)
- **blazer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blazer)
- **blazed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blazed)
- **blazes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blame-vs-blazes)

## Common misspellings (7)
`balme`, `bblame`, `blaem`, `blamme`, `bllame`, `blmae`, `lbame`

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