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PlainSpell

blur

/blɝ/verb, noun, adjective

blur is spelled B-L-U-R: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, blur means “To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in blur?

Letters4: B-L-U-R
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is blur?

Blur appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce blur?

  • UK /ˈblɜː/
  • British /bləː/
  • US /blɝ/

Blur has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-blur.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with blur?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as blur from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: burl.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of blur

  • blurs present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • blurring participle, present
  • blurred participle, past
  • more blur comparative
  • most blur superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does blur mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim.

    to blur a photograph (by moving the camera while taking it)

  2. 2

    To smear, stain or smudge.

    to blur a manuscript (by handling it while damp)

  3. 3

    To become indistinct.

  4. 4

    To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.

  5. 5

    obsoleteTo sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.

  6. 6

    To transfer the input focus away from.

  7. 7

    To use a sign, image, expression, etc. sufficiently close to a trademarked one that it causes confusion between them.

noun

  1. 1

    A smear, smudge or blot.

  2. 2

    Something that appears hazy or indistinct.

    The surroundings went by in a blur.

  3. 3

    Haziness, blurriness.

  4. 4

    obsoleteA moral stain or blot.

adjective

  1. 1

    Lacking awareness; clueless or confused.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Blur in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchestomper, brouiller (make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim), s'estomper (become indistinct), tache, salissure, marque (A smear, smudge or blot)
Germanverschwimmen, verwischen (make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim), Verschleierung, Unklarheit (A smear, smudge or blot), verschmieren (smear, stain or smudge), unscharf machen (to transfer the input focus away from)
Portuguesedesfocar (make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim), borrão (A smear, smudge or blot), borrar (smear, stain or smudge)
Spanishdesdibujar, difuminar, esfuminar, difumar (make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim), esfumarse (become indistinct), borrón (A smear, smudge or blot)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does blur come from?

From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English *blerian (attested in āblered (“made bare, made bald”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blaʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *blazjaną (“to make pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“pale”). Compare Scots blore, bloar (“to blur, cover with blots”), Low German bleeroged (“blear-eyed”). More at blear.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after blur