blast

/blɑːst/

//blɑːst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“blast” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,140. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,140
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A violent gust of wind (in windy weather) or apparent wind (around a moving vehicle).

Corpus desk

Index EN-blast · blast · English

blast · rank #4,140 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,140
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bang

Nearest frequency peer: bang (-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 “blast”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “blast” 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).

blast vs BLS
0% similar
blast vs boat
60% similar
blast vs bust
60% similar

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

Key facts for blast
PropertyValue
Headwordblast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/blɑːst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,140
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blast” 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).blastlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “bang” (#4,139), “bones” (#4,141), “apparent” (#4,138). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around blast (IPA /blɑːst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,140 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for blast, with forms such as "balst", "bblast", and "blasst". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "BLS", "boat", "bust", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blast, blest, from Old English blǣst (“blowing, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāstu, from Proto-Germanic *blēstuz (“blowing, blast”). Cognate with West Frisian blast (“blast”), dialectal Dutch blast (“stubborn intent, drumming”), o… The correct English form is blast, spelled B-L-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A violent gust of wind (in windy weather) or apparent wind (around a moving vehicle).
  2. 2
    A forcible stream of gas or liquid from an orifice, for example from a bellows, the tuyeres of a blast furnace, a person's mouth, etc.
  3. 3
    A hit of a recreational drug from a pipe.
  4. 4
    The continuous blowing to which one charge of ore or metal is subjected in a furnace.
  5. 5
    The exhaust steam from an engine, driving a column of air out of a boiler chimney, and thus creating an intense draught through the fire; also, any draught produced by the blast.
  6. 6
    An explosion, especially for the purpose of destroying a mass of rock, etc.
  7. 7
    A verbal attack or punishment; a severe criticism or reprimand.
  8. 8
    An explosive charge for blasting.
  9. 9
    A loud, sudden sound.
  10. 10
    Unwanted noise from a microphone.
  11. 11
    A sudden pernicious effect, as if by a noxious wind, especially on animals and plants; a blight.
  12. 12
    A good time; an enjoyable moment.
  13. 13
    A promotional message sent to an entire mailing list.
  14. 14
    A flatulent disease of sheep.
  15. 15
    A period of full dosage of PEDs as opposed to a period of reduced intake.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And see where surly Winter passes off, / Far to the north, and calls his ruffian blasts; / His blasts obey, and quit the howling hill.
  2. Their warm, thick under covering of fine wool protects them from the coldest blasts.

Etymology

From Middle English blast, blest, from Old English blǣst (“blowing, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāstu, from Proto-Germanic *blēstuz (“blowing, blast”). Cognate with West Frisian blast (“blast”), dialectal Dutch blast (“stubborn intent, drumming”), obsolete German Blast (“wind, blowing”), German blasen (“to blow”), Dutch blazen (“to blow”), Danish blæst (“wind”), French blaser (“to blunt, dull”). More at blow.

This word in other languages

bomba(Español)rafale(Français)Windstoß(Deutsch)ventania(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balst
  • bblast
  • blasst
  • blastt
  • blats
  • bllast
  • blsat
  • lbast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blast - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

balst2bblast1blasst1blastt1blats2bllast1blsat2lbast2
Edit distance from "blast"

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 "blast"?
"blast" is spelled B-L-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /blɑːst/.
What does "blast" mean?
As a noun, "blast" means: A violent gust of wind (in windy weather) or apparent wind (around a moving vehicle).
What words are commonly confused with "blast"?
"blast" is commonly confused with "BLS", "boat", "bust". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blast" is /blɑːst/. 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 "blast"?
From Middle English blast, blest, from Old English blǣst (“blowing, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāstu, from Proto-Germanic *blēstuz (“blowing, blast”). Cognate with West Frisian blast (“blast”), dialectal Dutch blast (“stubborn intent, dru... 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 "blast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bones#4,141stats#4,124spots#4,123shore#4,122

Similar misspelling depth

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

wooden8 variantsduties8 variantsrings8 variantsmanual8 variants

What to do next

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

  • "blast" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "BLS". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,140 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