blowhole

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

/ˈbləʊhəʊl/

//ˈbləʊhəʊl// noun

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

The verdict

“blowhole” is uncommon English (frequency #83,056 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,056
frequency rank, English: 31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The spiracle, on the top of the head, through which cetaceans breathe.

Key facts for blowhole
Property	Value
Headword	blowhole
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈbləʊhəʊl/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#83,056
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blowhole” 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). blowhole lands here:

#83,056

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blowhole is uncommon English at frequency #83,056 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbləʊhəʊl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for blowhole 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, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From blow + hole. The correct English form is blowhole, spelled B-L-O-W-H-O-L-E.

Definition

1
The spiracle, on the top of the head, through which cetaceans breathe.
2
A hole in sea ice where cetaceans and pinnipeds come to breathe.
3
A top-facing opening to a cavity in the ground very near an ocean's shore, leading to a marine cave from which wave water or bursts of air are expelled.
4
A vent for the escape of steam or other gas.
5
An unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product.
6
A vertical opening in the top of a computer case that lets hot air (primarily from the CPU heat sink) escape quickly.

Etymology

From blow + hole.

This word in other languages

espiráculo(Español)évent(Français)Lunker(Deutsch)

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 "blowhole"?

"blowhole" is spelled B-L-O-W-H-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbləʊhəʊl/.

What does "blowhole" mean?

As a noun, "blowhole" means: The spiracle, on the top of the head, through which cetaceans breathe.

How do you pronounce "blowhole"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blowhole" is /ˈbləʊhəʊl/. 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 "blowhole"?

From blow + hole. 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 “blowhole”

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

The one correct English spelling is B-L-O-W-H-O-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈbləʊhəʊl/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.