bloom

/bluːm/

//bluːm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bloom” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,888 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,888
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bloom vs boo
60% similar
bloom vs BOM
0% similar
bloom vs book
60% similar

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

Key facts for bloom
PropertyValue
Headwordbloom
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bluːm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,888
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bloom” 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). bloom lands here:

#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 bloom is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bluːm/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,888 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 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 bloom, with forms such as "bbloom", "blloom", and "blom". 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, "boo", "BOM", "book", 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 blome, from Old Norse blóm, from Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”). Doublet of bloom (“spongy mass of metal”); see there for more. The correct English form is bloom, spelled B-L-O-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud.
  2. 2
    Flowers.
  3. 3
    The opening of flowers in general; the state of blossoming or of having the flowers open.
  4. 4
    A state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor; an opening to higher perfection, analogous to that of buds into blossoms.
  5. 5
    Rosy colour; the flush or glow on a person's cheek.
  6. 6
    The delicate, powdery coating upon certain growing or newly-gathered fruits or leaves, as on grapes, plums, etc.
  7. 7
    Anything giving an appearance of attractive freshness.
  8. 8
    An algal bloom.
  9. 9
    The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the surface of a picture.
  10. 10
    A yellowish deposit or powdery coating which appears on well-tanned leather.
  11. 11
    A bright-hued variety of some minerals.
  12. 12
    A white area of cocoa butter that forms on the surface of chocolate when warmed and cooled.
  13. 13
    A natural protective coating on an eggshell.
  14. 14
    An undesirable halo effect that may occur when a very bright region is displayed next to a very dark region of the screen.
  15. 15
    The increase in bullet spread over time as a gun's trigger is kept held.
  16. 16
    A fan of Filipino girl group BINI.
  17. 17
    A group of ladybugs.

Etymology

From Middle English blome, from Old Norse blóm, from Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”). Doublet of bloom (“spongy mass of metal”); see there for more.

Synonyms

blossomflowerblossomflowerflushglow

This word in other languages

pruina(Español)floraison(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbloom,blloom,blom,blomo,bloomm,bolom,lboom

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bloom - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbloom1blloom1blom1blomo2bloomm1bolom2lboom2
Edit distance from "bloom"

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 "bloom"?
"bloom" is spelled B-L-O-O-M. The IPA pronunciation is /bluːm/.
What does "bloom" mean?
As a noun, "bloom" means: A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud.
What words are commonly confused with "bloom"?
"bloom" is commonly confused with "boo", "BOM", "book". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bloom"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bloom" is /bluːm/. 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 "bloom"?
From Middle English blome, from Old Norse blóm, from Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”). Doublet of bloom (“spongy mass of metal”); see there for more. 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 “bloom”

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

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list