blemish

/ˈblɛmɪʃ/

//ˈblɛmɪʃ// noun

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

"blemish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blemish” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,802 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,802
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

blemish vs bluish
71% similar

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

Key facts for blemish
PropertyValue
Headwordblemish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblɛmɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#34,802
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blemish” 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). blemish lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for blemish is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈblɛmɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,802 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for blemish, with forms such as "bblemish", "belmish", and "bleimsh". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "bluish", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blemisshen, blemissen, from Old French blemiss-, stem of Old French blemir, blesmir (“make pale, injure, wound, bruise”) (French blêmir), from Old Frankish *blesmijan, *blasmijan (“to make pale”), from Old Frankish *blasmī (“pale”), from… The correct English form is blemish, spelled B-L-E-M-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.
  2. 2
    A moral defect; a character flaw.

Etymology

From Middle English blemisshen, blemissen, from Old French blemiss-, stem of Old French blemir, blesmir (“make pale, injure, wound, bruise”) (French blêmir), from Old Frankish *blesmijan, *blasmijan (“to make pale”), from Old Frankish *blasmī (“pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“white, pale”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Dutch bles (“white spot”), German blass (“pale”), Old English āblered (“bare, uncovered, bald, shaven”).

This word in other languages

mancha(Español)tache(Français)Makel(Deutsch)mácula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bblemish,belmish,bleimsh,blemihs,blemishh,blemissh,blemmish,blemsih,bllemish,blmeish,lbemish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bblemish1belmish2bleimsh2blemihs2blemishh1blemissh1blemmish1blemsih2
Edit distance from "blemish"

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 "blemish"?
"blemish" is spelled B-L-E-M-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblɛmɪʃ/.
What does "blemish" mean?
As a noun, "blemish" means: A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.
What words are commonly confused with "blemish"?
"blemish" is commonly confused with "bluish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blemish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blemish" is /ˈblɛmɪʃ/. 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 "blemish"?
From Middle English blemisshen, blemissen, from Old French blemiss-, stem of Old French blemir, blesmir (“make pale, injure, wound, bruise”) (French blêmir), from Old Frankish *blesmijan, *blasmijan (“to make pale”), from Old Frankish *blasmī (“pa... 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.

Using “blemish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-L-E-M-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈblɛmɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bluish” - see the side-by-side comparison. blemish vs bluish
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list