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blister

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "blister", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "blister" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "blister" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

blister is aEnglishnoun. It means: A small bubble between the layers of the skin that contains watery or bloody fluid and is caused by friction and pressure, burning, freezing, chemical irritation, disease, or infection. Pronounced /ˈblɪstə(ɹ)/. Often confused with buster and booster.

Key facts for blister
PropertyValue
Headwordblister
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblɪstə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,840
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of blister in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for blister is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈblɪstə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,840 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 11 documented wrong-spelling variants for blister, with forms such as "bblister", "bilster", and "blisetr". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "buster", "booster", "bolster", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blister, from Old French blestre, from a Germanic source. Compare Middle Dutch blyster (“swelling”), Old Norse blastr (“a blowing”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is blister, spelled B-L-I-S-T-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small bubble between the layers of the skin that contains watery or bloody fluid and is caused by friction and pressure, burning, freezing, chemical irritation, disease, or infection.
  2. 2
    A swelling on a plant.
  3. 3
    Something applied to the skin to raise a blister; a vesicatory or other applied medicine.
  4. 4
    A bubble, as on a painted surface.
  5. 5
    An enclosed pocket of air, which may be mixed with water or solvent vapor, trapped between impermeable layers of felt or between the membrane and substrate.
  6. 6
    A type of pre-formed packaging made from plastic that contains cavities.
  7. 7
    A cause of annoyance.
  8. 8
    A form of smelted copper with a blistered surface.

Etymology

From Middle English blister, from Old French blestre, from a Germanic source. Compare Middle Dutch blyster (“swelling”), Old Norse blastr (“a blowing”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bblister,bilster,blisetr,blisster,blisterr,blistre,blistter,blitser,bllister,blsiter,lbister

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for blister

Misspelling Variants of "blister"

bblister8bilster7blisetr7blisster8blisterr8blistre7blistter8blitser7
Misspelling Variants of "blister"

Frequency rank: #28,840 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "blister"?
"blister" is spelled B-L-I-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblɪstə(ɹ)/.
What does "blister" mean?
As a noun, "blister" means: A small bubble between the layers of the skin that contains watery or bloody fluid and is caused by friction and pressure, burning, freezing, chemical irritation, disease, or infection.
What words are commonly confused with "blister"?
"blister" is commonly confused with "buster", "booster", "bolster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blister"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blister" is /ˈblɪstə(ɹ)/. 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 "blister"?
From Middle English blister, from Old French blestre, from a Germanic source. Compare Middle Dutch blyster (“swelling”), Old Norse blastr (“a blowing”). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter B in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.