blow

/bləʊ/

//bləʊ// verb

"blow" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blow” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,516. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,516
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To produce an air current.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blow · blow · English

blow · rank #2,516 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,516
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bell

Nearest frequency peer: bell (-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 “blow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “blow” 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).

blow vs bo
50% similar
blow vs BW
0% similar
blow vs boy
50% similar

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

Key facts for blow
PropertyValue
Headwordblow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bləʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,516
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blow” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).blowlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “bell” (#2,515), “bond” (#2,517), “assistance” (#2,514). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around blow (IPA /bləʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,516 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 33 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for blow, with forms such as "bblow", "bllow", and "bloww". 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 also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bo", "BW", "boy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan (“to blow, breathe, inflate, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną (“to blow”) (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell, blow up”) (compare Lati… The correct English form is blow, spelled B-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To produce an air current.
  2. 2
    To propel by an air current (or, if under water, a water current), usually with the mouth.
  3. 3
    To be propelled by an air current.
  4. 4
    To direct or move, usually of a person to a particular location.
  5. 5
    To create or shape by blowing.
  6. 6
    To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means.
  7. 7
    To clear of contents by forcing air through.
  8. 8
    To cause to make sound by blowing (as a musical instrument).
  9. 9
    To make a sound as a result of being blown.
  10. 10
    To exhale visibly through the spout the seawater which it has taken in while feeding.
  11. 11
    To burst or explode; to occur suddenly
  12. 12
    To cause to explode, shatter, or be utterly destroyed.
  13. 13
    To cause the sudden destruction of.
  14. 14
    To blow from a gun (method of executing a person).
  15. 15
    To suddenly fail or give way destructively.
  16. 16
    To melt away because of overcurrent, creating a gap in a wire, thus stopping a circuit from operating.
  17. 17
    To recklessly squander.
  18. 18
    To fail at; to mess up; to make a mistake in.
  19. 19
    To be very undesirable.
  20. 20
    To perform oral sex on (someone); to fellate.
  21. 21
    To leave, especially suddenly or in a hurry.
  22. 22
    To leave the Church of Scientology in an unauthorized manner.
  23. 23
    To make flyblown; to defile or spoil, especially with fly eggs.
  24. 24
    (of a fly) To lay eggs; to breed (in flesh or meat).
  25. 25
    To spread by report; to publish; to disclose.
  26. 26
    To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
  27. 27
    To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
  28. 28
    To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue.
  29. 29
    To talk loudly; boast; brag.
  30. 30
    To slander, insult, critique or discredit (someone); to reprimand or scold (someone).
  31. 31
    To expose, or inform on.
  32. 32
    To sing.
  33. 33
    To flatulate or defecate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lear. Blow windes, & crack your cheeks; Rage, blow / You Cataracts, and Hyrricano's ſpout,
  2. Tend to th' Maſters whiſtle: Blow till thou burſt thy winde, if roome enough.

Etymology

From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan (“to blow, breathe, inflate, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną (“to blow”) (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell, blow up”) (compare Latin flō (“to blow”) and Old Armenian բեղուն (bełun, “fertile”)).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bblow
  • bllow
  • bloww
  • blwo
  • lbow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bblow1bllow1bloww1blwo2lbow2
Edit distance from "blow"

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 "blow"?
"blow" is spelled B-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /bləʊ/.
What does "blow" mean?
As a verb, "blow" means: To produce an air current.
What words are commonly confused with "blow"?
"blow" is commonly confused with "bo", "BW", "boy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blow" is /bləʊ/. 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 "blow"?
From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan (“to blow, breathe, inflate, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną (“to blow”) (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell, blow up”) (co... 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 "blow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

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

What to do next

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

  • "blow" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "bo". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,516 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