Balast vs. Ballast — Which is Correct Spelling?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on March 28, 2024
"Balast" is an incorrect spelling; the correct form is "ballast," referring to heavy material used to stabilize a ship or counterbalance.
Table of Contents
Which is correct: Balast or Ballast
How to spell Ballast?
Balast
Incorrect Spelling
Ballast
Correct Spelling
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Key Differences
Associate "ballast" with "all" for all-around stability, both have two 'L's.
A ship needs all its "ballast" - emphasize the two L's for full balance.
Envision the two 'L's as weights balancing a ship.
Think of "ballast" having double "l" for double stability.
Remember "ball" in "ballast" since both relate to weight.
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How Do You Spell Ballast Correctly?
Incorrect: Adding balast to the hot air balloon helps control its altitude.
Correct: Adding ballast to the hot air balloon helps control its altitude.
Incorrect: The engineer recommended adding balast for better traction.
Correct: The engineer recommended adding ballast for better traction.
Incorrect: Trains often use balast to help maintain the track's stability.
Correct: Trains often use ballast to help maintain the track's stability.
Incorrect: We removed some balast from the race car to make it faster.
Correct: We removed some ballast from the race car to make it faster.
Incorrect: The ship needs more balast to improve its stability.
Correct: The ship needs more ballast to improve its stability.
Ballast Definitions
Heavy substance placed in a boat or ship to ensure stability.
The ship had ballast to keep it from capsizing in rough waters.
Gravel or coarse stone used to form the bed of a railroad or road.
Workers laid ballast on the train tracks for stability.
Anything that provides stability or weight.
He viewed his experiences as the ballast that grounded his perspectives.
A factor or force that provides stability and control.
Her support was the ballast that kept the project on course.
An electrical device that regulates the current in fluorescent and other lights.
The flickering light needed a new ballast.
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability.
Heavy material that is carried to improve stability or maintain proper trim, as on a ship, or to limit buoyancy, as on a balloon.
Coarse gravel or crushed rock laid to form a bed for roads or railroads.
The gravel ingredient of concrete.
Something that gives stability, especially in character.
To stabilize or provide with ballast.
To fill (a railroad bed) with or as if with ballast.
(nautical) Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
(figuratively) Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete; track ballast.
(construction) A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
Device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g. in a tube lamp supply circuit)
(figurative) That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.
To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.
To weigh down with a ballast.
Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing.
Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness.
Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid.
The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete.
Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity.
To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold.
To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid.
To keep steady; to steady, morally.
'T is charity must ballast the heart.
Any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship
Coarse gravel laid to form a bed for streets and railroads
An attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings
A resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations)
An electrical device for starting and regulating fluorescent and discharge lamps
Make steady with a ballast
Ballast Meaning in a Sentence
Ballast is crucial for maintaining the stability of ships at sea.
The weight of the ballast helps keep the boat upright in rough waters.
Without proper ballast, the vessel could capsize in strong winds.
Adjusting the ballast is a common practice in submarine operations.
They used sandbags as ballast to weigh down the makeshift raft.
Balloonists adjust ballast to fine-tune their altitude during flight.
The stability of the floating platform was achieved by carefully placed ballast.
Railroad engineers check the ballast for erosion to ensure track safety.
The ballast tanks were filled to lower the submarine beneath the waves.
In rail transport, crushed stone ballast is used to support the tracks.
Adding ballast to race cars can affect their performance and handling.
Environmental concerns have led to regulations on ballast water discharge from ships.
Shifting ballast can significantly affect a ship's handling and speed.
Ballast stones from ancient shipwrecks provide clues to historians and archaeologists.
The right amount of ballast ensures the efficiency and safety of freight trains.
Ballast helps in distributing the load evenly across the train tracks.
Ballast contributes to the structural integrity of roadbeds and railway tracks.
Divers use ballast weights to control their buoyancy underwater.
Light aircraft may require ballast to meet specific weight and balance requirements.
Ballast water is often exchanged at sea to prevent the spread of invasive species.
Common Curiosities
What is the verb form of Ballast?
To ballast.
What is the root word of Ballast?
The root word is derived from the Old Norse 'barlast' meaning 'bare load'.
Which vowel is used before Ballast?
The vowel 'a' is used before "ballast".
What is the singular form of Ballast?
Ballast.
Why is it called Ballast?
Ballast is named for its function; it originally referred to a bag of sand or other heavy material used to stabilize ships.
Which preposition is used with Ballast?
"With" can be used, as in "with ballast."
What is the pronunciation of Ballast?
/'bæl.əst/
Is Ballast a vowel or consonant?
Ballast starts with a consonant.
Is the word Ballast is Gerund?
No.
How do we divide Ballast into syllables?
Bal-last.
What is a stressed syllable in Ballast?
The first syllable, "Bal."
What is another term for Ballast?
Counterweight.
What is the first form of Ballast?
Ballast.
What is the plural form of Ballast?
Ballasts.
Which conjunction is used with Ballast?
No specific conjunction is inherently associated with "ballast."
Is Ballast an adverb?
No, ballast is not an adverb.
Is Ballast an abstract noun?
No, it's a concrete noun.
Is Ballast a negative or positive word?
Ballast is neutral; it is neither negative nor positive.
Is Ballast a countable noun?
Yes, e.g., "three ballasts."
Is the word “Ballast” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
It can be either, depending on its usage in a sentence.
What is the opposite of Ballast?
There's no direct opposite, but in a metaphorical sense, it might be "liability" or "burden" when referring to something that doesn't provide stability.
Is Ballast a collective noun?
No, it's not a collective noun.
Is the Ballast term a metaphor?
In some contexts, it can be used metaphorically to represent stability or grounding.
What is the second form of Ballast?
Ballasted.
What is the third form of Ballast?
Ballasted.
Is Ballast a noun or adjective?
Ballast is primarily a noun.
How many syllables are in Ballast?
Two.
What part of speech is Ballast?
Noun.
Which determiner is used with Ballast?
Determiners like "some," "the," or "a" can be used.
How is Ballast used in a sentence?
"The ship needed more ballast to stabilize during the storm."
Which article is used with Ballast?
Both "a" and "the" can be used, depending on context.
Is the word Ballast is imperative?
No.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
