block

/blɒk/

//blɒk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“block” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,386. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,386
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-block · block · English

block · rank #1,386 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,386
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH award

Nearest frequency peer: award (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “block”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “block” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

block vs bok
60% similar
block vs book
60% similar
block vs blog
60% similar

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

Key facts for block
PropertyValue
Headwordblock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/blɒk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,386
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “block” 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).block lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around block (IPA /blɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,386 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 39 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for block, with forms such as "bblock", "blcok", and "bllock". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bok", "book", "blog", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blok (“log, stump, solid piece”), from Old French bloc (“log, block”), from Middle Dutch blok (“treetrunk”), from Old Dutch *blok (“log”), from Proto-West Germanic *blokk, from Proto-Germanic *blukką (“beam, log”), from Proto-Indo-Europe… The correct English form is block, spelled B-L-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  2. 2
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  3. 3
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  4. 4
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  5. 5
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  6. 6
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  7. 7
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  8. 8
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  9. 9
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  10. 10
    A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
  11. 11
    A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.
  12. 12
    A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.
  13. 13
    A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.
  14. 14
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  15. 15
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  16. 16
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  17. 17
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  18. 18
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  19. 19
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  20. 20
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  21. 21
    A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
  22. 22
    A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.
  23. 23
    A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.
  24. 24
    A cuboid or approximately cuboid building.
  25. 25
    A cuboid or approximately cuboid building.
  26. 26
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  27. 27
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  28. 28
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  29. 29
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  30. 30
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  31. 31
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  32. 32
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  33. 33
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  34. 34
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  35. 35
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  36. 36
    Something that prevents something from passing.
  37. 37
    The human head.
  38. 38
    Solitary confinement.
  39. 39
    A blockhead; a stupid person; a dolt.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a block of ice; a block of stone
  2. She picked up the block and examined it.

Etymology

From Middle English blok (“log, stump, solid piece”), from Old French bloc (“log, block”), from Middle Dutch blok (“treetrunk”), from Old Dutch *blok (“log”), from Proto-West Germanic *blokk, from Proto-Germanic *blukką (“beam, log”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“thick plank, beam, pile, prop”). Cognate with Old Frisian blok, Old Saxon blok, Old High German bloh, bloc (“block”), Old English bolca (“gangway of a ship, plank”), Old Norse bǫlkr (“divider, partition”). More at balk. See also bloc, bulk.

This word in other languages

bloque(Español)bloc(Français)Block(Deutsch)bloco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bblock
  • blcok
  • bllock
  • blocck
  • blockk
  • blokc
  • bolck
  • lbock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of block - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bblock1blcok2bllock1blocck1blockk1blokc2bolck2lbock2
Edit distance from "block"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "block"?
"block" is spelled B-L-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /blɒk/.
What does "block" mean?
As a noun, "block" means: A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
What words are commonly confused with "block"?
"block" is commonly confused with "bok", "book", "blog". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "block"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "block" is /blɒk/. 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 "block"?
From Middle English blok (“log, stump, solid piece”), from Old French bloc (“log, block”), from Middle Dutch blok (“treetrunk”), from Old Dutch *blok (“log”), from Proto-West Germanic *blokk, from Proto-Germanic *blukką (“beam, log”), from Proto-I... 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 "block", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

award#1,385ain't#1,384worse#1,381we'll#1,379

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

caused8 variantsadvice8 variantssmith8 variantsplant8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "block". Here's where to go from here.

  • "block" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "bok". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,386 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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