blush

/blʌʃ/

//blʌʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“blush” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,671 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,671
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

blush vs bus
60% similar
blush vs busy
60% similar
blush vs bush
80% similar

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

Key facts for blush
PropertyValue
Headwordblush
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/blʌʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,671
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blush” 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). blush 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 blush is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /blʌʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,671 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for blush, with forms such as "bblush", "bllush", and "blsuh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bus", "busy", "bush", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blusjǭ (“torch… The correct English form is blush, spelled B-L-U-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.
  2. 2
    A glow; a flush of colour, especially pink or red.
  3. 3
    A feeling or appearance of optimism.
  4. 4
    A cosmetic, frequently a powder, used to redden the cheeks and lips.
  5. 5
    A color between pink and cream.
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of blush wine.

Etymology

From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blusjǭ (“torch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with Middle Low German blöschen (“to blush”). Compare also Old English blysian (“to burn; blaze”), Dutch blozen (“to blush”), Danish blusse (“to blush”), Old Norse blys (“torch”), Danish blus (“blaze”).

This word in other languages

bochorno(Español)rougeur(Français)Schamröte(Deutsch)corar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bblush,bllush,blsuh,bluhs,blushh,blussh,bulsh,lbush

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blush - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bblush1bllush1blsuh2bluhs2blushh1blussh1bulsh2lbush2
Edit distance from "blush"

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 "blush"?
"blush" is spelled B-L-U-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /blʌʃ/.
What does "blush" mean?
As a noun, "blush" means: An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "blush"?
"blush" is commonly confused with "bus", "busy", "bush". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blush"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blush" is /blʌʃ/. 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 "blush"?
From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blus... 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 “blush”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-L-U-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /blʌʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bus” - see the side-by-side comparison. blush vs bus
  • 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