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blockbuster

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

Letters

11 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "blockbuster", 11-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "blockbuster" 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 "blockbuster" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

blockbuster is aEnglishnoun. It means: A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block. Pronounced /ˈblɒkˌbʌs.tə(ɹ)/.

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Key facts for blockbuster
PropertyValue
Headwordblockbuster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblɒkˌbʌs.tə(ɹ)/
Letters11
Frequency rank#15,350
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for blockbuster is 11 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈblɒkˌbʌs.tə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,350 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for blockbuster, with forms such as "bblockbuster", "blcokbuster", and "bllockbuster". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From block + buster, referring originally to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings. 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 blockbuster, spelled B-L-O-C-K-B-U-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 high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.
  2. 2
    Something, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb.
  3. 3
    Something, especially an event or a film, book or other creative work, that is intended to achieve high sales (perhaps indicated by large budgets or high advertising spending) or that is conceived on a large or epic scale
  4. 4
    Anything very large or powerful; a whopper.
  5. 5
    A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80.
  6. 6
    One who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property).

Etymology

From block + buster, referring originally to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bblockbuster,blcokbuster,bllockbuster,blocbkuster,blocckbuster,blockbbuster,blockbsuter,blockbusetr,blockbusster,blockbusterr,blockbustre,blockbustter,blockbutser,blockkbuster,blockubster,blokcbuster,bolckbuster,lbockbuster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for blockbuster

Misspelling Variants of "blockbuster"

bblockbuster12blcokbuster11bllockbuster12blocbkuster11blocckbuster12blockbbuster12blockbsuter11blockbusetr11
Misspelling Variants of "blockbuster"

Frequency rank: #15,350 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "blockbuster"?
"blockbuster" is spelled B-L-O-C-K-B-U-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblɒkˌbʌs.tə(ɹ)/.
What does "blockbuster" mean?
As a noun, "blockbuster" means: A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.
What are common misspellings of "blockbuster"?
Common misspellings include "bblockbuster", "blcokbuster", "bllockbuster", "blocbkuster", "blocckbuster". The correct spelling is "blockbuster".
How do you pronounce "blockbuster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blockbuster" is /ˈblɒkˌbʌs.tə(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 "blockbuster"?
From block + buster, referring originally to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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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. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.