blowfish

/ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/

//ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ// noun

"blowfish" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blowfish” is an uncommon English word, ranked #67,268 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#67,268
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened.

Key facts for blowfish
PropertyValue
Headwordblowfish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#67,268
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blowfish” 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). blowfish 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 blowfish is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #67,268 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for blowfish in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From blow + fish. The correct English form is blowfish, spelled B-L-O-W-F-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened.
  2. 2
    A delicacy popular in Japan, consisting of the fish served raw as sushi or perhaps fried. It may, if improperly prepared, contain considerably deadly levels of neurotoxins.

Etymology

From blow + fish.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "blowfish"?
"blowfish" is spelled B-L-O-W-F-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/.
What does "blowfish" mean?
As a noun, "blowfish" means: Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened.
How do you pronounce "blowfish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blowfish" is /ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/. 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 "blowfish"?
From blow + fish. 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 “blowfish”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-L-O-W-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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