bloat
/bloʊt/verb, noun
bloat is spelled B-L-O-A-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, bloat means “To cause to become distended” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bloat?
| Letters | 5: B-L-O-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is bloat?
Bloat appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd 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 bloat?
- UK /bləʊt/
- US /bloʊt/
Bloat has one syllable (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: En-au-bloat.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bloat?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bloat from its last stressed vowel (/oʊt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of bloat
- bloats present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- bloating participle, present
- bloated participle, past
- more bloat comparative
- most bloat superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bloat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause to become distended.
- 2
To get an overdistended rumen, talking of a ruminant.
- 3
To fill soft substance with gas, water, etc.; to cause to swell.
- 4
To become distended; to swell up.
- 5
To fill with vanity or conceit.
- 6
datedTo preserve by slightly salting and lightly smoking.
bloated herring
- 7
To increase to an excessive amount.
noun
- 1
Distention of the abdomen from death.
- 2
Pathological overdistention of rumen with gas in a ruminant.
- 3
Wasteful use of space or other resources.
Adding an e-mail feature to this simple text editor would be pointless bloat.
- 4
datedderogatoryslangA worthless, dissipated fellow.
- 5
A group of hippopotamuses.
adjective
- 1
obsoletebloated.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bloat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | schwellen, aufblasen, aufblähen , Aufblähen, Tympanie |
| Portuguese | inchar , encher |
| Spanish | hinchar, inflar , hinchamiento |
| French | météorisme, tympanisme , bouffir, boursoufler , gonfler, météoriser |
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 bloat come from?
Perhaps from Middle English blot, blout (“soft; flexible; pliable”), from Old Norse blautr (“soft”). Akin to Danish blød, Dutch bloot (“nude”) and German bloß (“nude”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).