blather
/ˈblæðə(ɹ)/verb, noun
blather is spelled B-L-A-T-H-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory verb, blather means “To talk rapidly without making much sense” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in blather?
| Letters | 7: B-L-A-T-H-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 70,702nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is blather?
Blather appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce blather?
- UK /ˈblæðə(ɹ)/
Blather has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-blather.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with blather
Also written: bladder.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of blather
- blathers present, singular, he/she/it
- blathering participle, present
- blathered participle, past
- blether
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does blather mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
derogatoryTo talk rapidly without making much sense.
- 2
derogatoryTo say (something foolish or nonsensical); to say (something) in a foolish or overly verbose way.
noun
- 1
derogatoryFoolish or nonsensical talk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Blather in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déblatérer, dégoiser |
| German | quasseln, quatschen, sabbeln , Gequatsche, Gequassel, Gelabere |
| Portuguese | tagarelar |
| Spanish | despotricar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does blather come from?
From Middle English bletheren, bloderen, from Old Norse blaðra (“to speak inarticulately, talk nonsense”). Cognate with Scots blether, bladder, bledder (“to blather”), dialectal German bladdern (“to talk nonsense, blather”), Norwegian bladra (“to babble, speak imperfectly”), Icelandic blaðra (“to twaddle”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).