bluff

/blʌf/

//blʌf// noun

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

"bluff" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bluff” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,288. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,288
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bluff · bluff · English

bluff · rank #13,288 · 6 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,288
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH blackout

Nearest frequency peer: blackout (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “bluff”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “bluff” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

bluff vs buff
80% similar
bluff vs blur
60% similar
bluff vs Blum
40% similar

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

Key facts for bluff
PropertyValue
Headwordbluff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/blʌf/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,288
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bluff”

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).blufflands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “blackout” (#13,287), “Bollywood” (#13,289), “begged” (#13,286). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bluff” is #13,288. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around bluff (IPA /blʌf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,288 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for bluff, with forms such as "bbluff", "blfuf", and "blluff". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "buff", "blur", "Blum", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Dutch bluffen (“to brag”), from Middle Dutch bluffen (“to make something swell; to bluff”); or from the Dutch noun bluf (“bragging”). Related to German verblüffen (“to stump, perplex”). The correct English form is bluff, spelled B-L-U-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.
  2. 2
    An attempt to represent oneself as holding a stronger hand than one actually does.
  3. 3
    The card game poker.
  4. 4
    One who bluffs; a bluffer.
  5. 5
    Pretense, excuse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That is only bluff, or That is only a bluff.
  2. John’s bet was a bluff: he bet without even so much as a pair.

Etymology

Probably from Dutch bluffen (“to brag”), from Middle Dutch bluffen (“to make something swell; to bluff”); or from the Dutch noun bluf (“bragging”). Related to German verblüffen (“to stump, perplex”).

This word in other languages

farol(Español)Bluffen(Deutsch)bluff(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbluff
  • blfuf
  • blluff
  • bluf
  • bulff
  • lbuff

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbluff1blfuf2blluff1bluf1bulff2lbuff2
Edit distance from "bluff"

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 "bluff"?
"bluff" is spelled B-L-U-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /blʌf/.
What does "bluff" mean?
As a noun, "bluff" means: An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.
What words are commonly confused with "bluff"?
"bluff" is commonly confused with "buff", "blur", "Blum". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bluff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bluff" is /blʌf/. 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 "bluff"?
Probably from Dutch bluffen (“to brag”), from Middle Dutch bluffen (“to make something swell; to bluff”); or from the Dutch noun bluf (“bragging”). Related to German verblüffen (“to stump, perplex”). 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 "bluff", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cindy#13,300coded#13,305tease#13,253Doris#13,326

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

clad6 variantsdorm6 variantssuns6 variantsdrip6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list