balm
/ˈbɑm/
noun
Familiar
1.n.any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing
2.n.semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
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balm and bomb are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. balm means “any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing”. bomb means “an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions”. bomb is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɑm/
1.n.any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing
2.n.semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
/ˈbɑm/
| balm | bomb | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɑm/ | /ˈbɑm/ |
| Said | bahm | bahm |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 2 | 5 |
| How common | Familiar | Core |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for balm · Full entry for bomb · More comparisons
1.n.an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
2.n.strong sealed vessel for measuring heat of combustion
3.n.an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual
“the first experiment was a real turkey”