eff and blind

verb

"eff-and-blind" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eff and blind” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To swear; to use swear words.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eff-and-blind · eff and blind · English

eff and blind · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for eff and blind
PropertyValue
Headwordeff and blind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “eff and blind” in English

eff and blindranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

eff and blind is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To swear; to use swear words.".

Zero misspellings are on record for eff and blind in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From eff and blind "curse" The correct English form is eff and blind, spelled E-F-F- -A-N-D- -B-L-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To swear; to use swear words.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I can't stand the way he's always effing and blinding.

Etymology

From eff and blind "curse"

Synonyms

eff and jeff

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "eff and blind"?
"eff and blind" is spelled E-F-F- -A-N-D- -B-L-I-N-D.
What does "eff and blind" mean?
As a verb, "eff and blind" means: To swear; to use swear words.
What is the origin of the word "eff and blind"?
From eff and blind "curse" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list