blaspheme

/ˌblæsˈfiːm/

//ˌblæsˈfiːm// verb

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

"blaspheme" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blaspheme” is uncommon English (frequency #78,415 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,415
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To commit blasphemy; to speak against God or religious doctrine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blaspheme · blaspheme · English

blaspheme · rank #78,415 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,415
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH blase

Nearest frequency peer: blase (-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 “blaspheme”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for blaspheme
PropertyValue
Headwordblaspheme
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌblæsˈfiːm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#78,415
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “blaspheme” in English

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).blasphemefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “blase” (#78,414), “blest” (#78,416), “blonds” (#78,417). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blaspheme” is #78,415. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blaspheme is uncommon English at frequency #78,415 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌblæsˈfiːm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for blaspheme, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blasfemen, blasphemen, from Old French blasfemer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blame. The correct English form is blaspheme, spelled B-L-A-S-P-H-E-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To commit blasphemy; to speak against God or religious doctrine.
  2. 2
    To speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile impiously (anything sacred).
  3. 3
    To calumniate; to revile; to abuse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
  2. Thus from the holy Warres are we return'd, / To ſlumber in the Summer of ſoft peace, / Since thoſe proud enemies that late blaſpheamd / And ſpit their furies in the face of Heaven, / Are now laid low in duſt.

Etymology

From Middle English blasfemen, blasphemen, from Old French blasfemer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blame.

This word in other languages

blasfemar(Español)blasphémer(Français)lästern(Deutsch)blasfemar(Português)

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 "blaspheme"?
"blaspheme" is spelled B-L-A-S-P-H-E-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌblæsˈfiːm/.
What does "blaspheme" mean?
As a verb, "blaspheme" means: To commit blasphemy; to speak against God or religious doctrine.
How do you pronounce "blaspheme"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blaspheme" is /ˌblæsˈfiːm/. 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 "blaspheme"?
From Middle English blasfemen, blasphemen, from Old French blasfemer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blame. 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 "blaspheme", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bottomley#78,423Battaglia#78,391baseboard#78,390bamboozle#78,387

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list