bloke

Name: bloke, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/bləʊk/

//bləʊk// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“bloke” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,865 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,865
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fellow, a man; especially an ordinary man, a man on the street.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bloke vs bok

60% similar

bloke vs Boe

40% similar

bloke vs book

60% similar

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

Key facts for bloke
Property	Value
Headword	bloke
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/bləʊk/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#13,865
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bloke” 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). bloke lands here:

#13,865

#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 bloke is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bləʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,865 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bloke, with forms such as "bbloke", "blkoe", and "blloke". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bok", "Boe", "book", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin unknown; the following borrowings have been hypothesized: * From a modern Celtic language, such as Irish bloc (“block”) or Scottish Gaelic ploc (“large, stubborn person”, literally “block of wood”), themselves borrowings from English block * From Hin… The correct English form is bloke, spelled B-L-O-K-E.

Definition

1
A fellow, a man; especially an ordinary man, a man on the street.
2
An exemplar of a certain masculine, independent male archetype.
3
A man who behaves in a particularly laddish or overtly heterosexual manner.
4
(A lower deck term for) the captain or executive officer of a warship, especially one regarded as tough on discipline and punishment.
5
An anglophone (English-speaking) man.

Etymology

Origin unknown; the following borrowings have been hypothesized: * From a modern Celtic language, such as Irish bloc (“block”) or Scottish Gaelic ploc (“large, stubborn person”, literally “block of wood”), themselves borrowings from English block * From Hindustani لوک (lok) / लोक (lok, “people, folk”) or Shelta loke (“man”).

This word in other languages

tío(Español)type(Français)Kerl(Deutsch)cara(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbloke,blkoe,blloke,bloek,blokke,bolke,lboke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "bloke"

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 "bloke"?

"bloke" is spelled B-L-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bləʊk/.

What does "bloke" mean?

As a noun, "bloke" means: A fellow, a man; especially an ordinary man, a man on the street.

What words are commonly confused with "bloke"?

"bloke" is commonly confused with "bok", "Boe", "book". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "bloke"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bloke" is /bləʊk/. 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 "bloke"?

Origin unknown; the following borrowings have been hypothesized: * From a modern Celtic language, such as Irish bloc (“block”) or Scottish Gaelic ploc (“large, stubborn person”, literally “block of wood”), themselves borrowings from English block ... 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 “bloke”

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

The one correct English spelling is B-L-O-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /bləʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “bok” - see the side-by-side comparison. bloke vs bok
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.