blank

/ˈblæŋk/

//ˈblæŋk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“blank” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,662. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,662
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - White or pale; without colour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blank · blank · English

blank · rank #5,662 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,662
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH binding

Nearest frequency peer: binding (-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 “blank”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “blank” 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).

blank vs bunk
60% similar
blank vs bran
60% similar
blank vs block
60% similar

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

Key facts for blank
PropertyValue
Headwordblank
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈblæŋk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,662
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blank” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).blanklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “binding” (#5,661), “buffalo” (#5,663), “beans” (#5,660). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around blank (IPA /ˈblæŋk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,662 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for blank, with forms such as "balnk", "bblank", and "blakn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bunk", "bran", "block", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Anglo-Norman blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Old French blanc, feminine blanche, from Frankish *blank (“gleaming, white, blinding”), from Proto-Germanic *blankaz (“white, bright, blinding”), from Proto-… The correct English form is blank, spelled B-L-A-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    White or pale; without colour.
  2. 2
    Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in.
  3. 3
    Lacking characteristics which give variety; uniform.
  4. 4
    Abject; absolute; complete; downright; sheer; utter.
  5. 5
    Without expression, usually because of incomprehension.
  6. 6
    Utterly confounded or discomfited.
  7. 7
    Empty; void; without result; fruitless; futile.
  8. 8
    Devoid of thoughts, memory, or inspiration.
  9. 9
    Of ammunition: having propellant but no bullets; unbulleted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To the blanc Moone / Her office they preſcrib'd,
  2. a blank check

Etymology

From Middle English blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Anglo-Norman blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Old French blanc, feminine blanche, from Frankish *blank (“gleaming, white, blinding”), from Proto-Germanic *blankaz (“white, bright, blinding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”). Akin to Old High German blanch (“shining, bright, white”) (German blank), Old English blanc (“white, grey”), blanca (“white steed”), Spanish blanco. More at blink, blind, blanch. Doublet of blanc.

This word in other languages

en blanco(Español)blanc(Français)ausdruckslos(Deutsch)em branco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balnk
  • bblank
  • blakn
  • blankk
  • blannk
  • bllank
  • blnak
  • lbank

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blank - 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.

balnk2bblank1blakn2blankk1blannk1bllank1blnak2lbank2
Edit distance from "blank"

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 "blank"?
"blank" is spelled B-L-A-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblæŋk/.
What does "blank" mean?
As an adjective, "blank" means: White or pale; without colour.
What words are commonly confused with "blank"?
"blank" is commonly confused with "bunk", "bran", "block". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blank"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blank" is /ˈblæŋk/. 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 "blank"?
From Middle English blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Anglo-Norman blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Old French blanc, feminine blanche, from Frankish *blank (“gleaming, white, blinding”), from Proto-Germanic *blankaz (“white, bright, blinding”), f... 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 "blank", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

beans#5,660awake#5,658curve#5,671Welsh#5,649

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

buffalo8 variantsfarms8 variantstwins8 variantsflows8 variants

What to do next

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

  • "blank" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "bunk". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,662 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