blub

/blʌb/

//blʌb// verb

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

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

The verdict

“blub” is uncommon English (frequency #99,042 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,042
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cry, whine or blubber (usually carries a connotation of disapproval).

Corpus desk

Index EN-blub · blub · English

blub · rank #99,042 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,042
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Boethius

Nearest frequency peer: Boethius (+2 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 “blub”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for blub
PropertyValue
Headwordblub
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/blʌb/
Letters4
Frequency rank#99,042
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “blub” 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).blubfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Boethius” (#99,044), “blaspheming” (#99,038), “Bogardus” (#99,046). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blub” is #99,042. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blub is uncommon English at frequency #99,042 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /blʌb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for blub, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeic. Compare bleb and blob. The correct English form is blub, spelled B-L-U-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cry, whine or blubber (usually carries a connotation of disapproval).
  2. 2
    To swell; to puff out, as with weeping.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The grotesquely ornamented goats, crazed by the Hamelin piping, stampeded toward him. They piled up, shoving one another from the causeway, screaming with almost human agony as the black mud and the quicksand caught them, screaming till their shrieks blubbed into silence.
  2. Yes. I know where she is. She's blubbing behind the gym. Shall I fetch her out?

Etymology

Onomatopoeic. Compare bleb and blob.

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 "blub"?
"blub" is spelled B-L-U-B. The IPA pronunciation is /blʌb/.
What does "blub" mean?
As a verb, "blub" means: To cry, whine or blubber (usually carries a connotation of disapproval).
How do you pronounce "blub"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blub" is /blʌb/. 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 "blub"?
Onomatopoeic. Compare bleb and blob. 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 "blub", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cedi#99,087cist#99,106Anuj#98,972amel#98,959

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list