blech

/blɛk/

//blɛk// intj

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

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

The verdict

“blech” is uncommon English (frequency #72,135 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,135
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An imitation of the sound of gagging, used to express disgust or disdain.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blech · blech · English

blech · rank #72,135 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,135
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH biomolecular

Nearest frequency peer: biomolecular (-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 “blech”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for blech
PropertyValue
Headwordblech
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/blɛk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#72,135
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “blech” 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).blechfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “biomolecular” (#72,134), “blick” (#72,136), “Blumberg” (#72,138). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blech” is #72,135. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blech is uncommon English at frequency #72,135 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as aninterjection, transcribed /blɛk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An imitation of the sound of gagging, used to express disgust or disdain.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for blech in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Imitative. The correct English form is blech, spelled B-L-E-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An imitation of the sound of gagging, used to express disgust or disdain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Blech! Look at all those maggots!
  2. Speaking of showering: after my dad’s passing, I realized I was more vested in my puppy’s grooming than my own. […] On more than one occasion, I had to ask myself if I brushed my teeth that day. Blech.

Etymology

Imitative.

Synonyms

fehpfaughpishpshawpoohbah

This word in other languages

kotz(Deutsch)

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 "blech"?
"blech" is spelled B-L-E-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /blɛk/.
What does "blech" mean?
As an interjection, "blech" means: An imitation of the sound of gagging, used to express disgust or disdain.
How do you pronounce "blech"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blech" is /blɛk/. 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 "blech"?
Imitative. 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 "blech", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

blick#72,136bokeh#72,142basha#72,116byway#72,160

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list