blotch

/blɒtʃ/

//blɒtʃ// noun

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

"blotch" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blotch” is uncommon English (frequency #68,050 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,050
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An uneven patch of color or discoloration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blotch · blotch · English

blotch · rank #68,050 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,050
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Blakeney

Nearest frequency peer: Blakeney (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “blotch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “blotch” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for blotch
PropertyValue
Headwordblotch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/blɒtʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#68,050
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “blotch” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).blotchfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Blakeney” (#68,049), “bonar” (#68,051), “bonehead” (#68,052). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blotch” is #68,050. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blotch is uncommon English at frequency #68,050 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /blɒtʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for blotch in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain. Perhaps a blend of blot + botch. The correct English form is blotch, spelled B-L-O-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An uneven patch of color or discoloration.
  2. 2
    An irregularly shaped area.
  3. 3
    Imperfection; blemish on one’s reputation, stain.
  4. 4
    Any of various crop diseases that cause the plant to form spots.
  5. 5
    A bright or dark spot on old film caused by dirt and loss of the gelatin covering the film, due to age and poor film quality.
  6. 6
    A dark spot on the skin; a pustule.
  7. 7
    Blotting paper.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1711, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, The Spectator, London: J. & R. Tonson, 12th edition, Volume I, No. 16, p. 68, […] in healing those Blotches and Tumours which break out in the body […]
  2. Since the day in which this reformation began, by how many strange and critical turns has it been perfected and handed down, if not, entirely without spot or wrinkle,—at least, without great blotches or marks of anility.

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps a blend of blot + botch.

This word in other languages

mancha(Español)mancha(Português)

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 "blotch"?
"blotch" is spelled B-L-O-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /blɒtʃ/.
What does "blotch" mean?
As a noun, "blotch" means: An uneven patch of color or discoloration.
How do you pronounce "blotch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blotch" is /blɒtʃ/. 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 "blotch"?
Uncertain. Perhaps a blend of blot + botch. 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 "blotch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Biscay#68,046biomed#68,044Breaux#68,060Berner#68,039

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list