How Do You Spell BAULKED?

Pronunciation: [bˈɔːkt] (IPA)

The spelling of the word "baulked" can be tricky due to the silent "u". The IPA phonetic transcription helps explain the word's pronunciation: /bɔːkt/. The "au" in "baulked" is pronounced as a long "o" sound, and the "k" at the end is pronounced softly. The word means to hesitate or resist, and is commonly used in sports like soccer and baseball when a player hesitates before making a move. Despite its confusing spelling, "baulked" is still an important and frequently used word in English.

BAULKED Meaning and Definition

  1. Baulked is the past tense and past participle form of the verb "balk," which is predominantly used in British English. It is a term that originates from Middle English and has evolved over time. Baulk primarily refers to the act of hesitating, pausing, or an instance of refusing to proceed or act according to one's intentions or expectations.

    When someone is said to have baulked, it means they have encountered an obstacle or hindrance that has caused them to halt or hesitate in their actions. The term often conveys a sense of frustration, disappointment, or resistance. Baulking can manifest as a mental, physical, or emotional response when faced with a challenging or overwhelming situation.

    In sports and games, particularly in cricket, baulked refers to a situation when a player unexpectedly stops or alters their course of action, disrupting the intended play. This could occur due to factors such as fear, uncertainty, or an opponent's strategy.

    Beyond the realm of sports, baulked can also describe someone's reaction to a daunting task, an unforeseen setback, or a sudden change of circumstances. It implies a temporary setback or delay, during which an individual regroups, reevaluates their plans, or seeks alternative methods to move forward.

    Overall, baulked illustrates a situation where one's progress or intentions are momentarily impeded, leading to hesitancy or refusal to proceed, before finding a way to overcome the obstacles and continue on the desired path.

Etymology of BAULKED

The word "baulked" is derived from the verb "balk", which can be traced back to Middle English. It evolved from the Old English word "balcan", meaning "to leave unsettled" or "to hesitate". The term further developed from the Old Norse word "bálka", which had a similar meaning. Over time, "balk" came to represent the act of hesitating or refusing to proceed with an action or plan. The past tense form, "baulked", emerged as a result of grammatical changes in the English language.

Conjugate verb Baulked

CONDITIONAL

I would baulk
we would baulk
you would baulk
he/she/it would baulk
they would baulk

FUTURE

I will baulk
we will baulk
you will baulk
he/she/it will baulk
they will baulk

FUTURE PERFECT

I will have baulked
we will have baulked
you will have baulked
he/she/it will have baulked
they will have baulked

PAST

I baulked
we baulked
you baulked
he/she/it baulked
they baulked

PAST PERFECT

I had baulked
we had baulked
you had baulked
he/she/it had baulked
they had baulked

PRESENT

I baulk
we baulk
you baulk
he/she/it baulks
they baulk

PRESENT PERFECT

I have baulked
we have baulked
you have baulked
he/she/it has baulked
they have baulked
I am baulking
we are baulking
you are baulking
he/she/it is baulking
they are baulking
I was baulking
we were baulking
you were baulking
he/she/it was baulking
they were baulking
I will be baulking
we will be baulking
you will be baulking
he/she/it will be baulking
they will be baulking
I have been baulking
we have been baulking
you have been baulking
he/she/it has been baulking
they have been baulking
I had been baulking
we had been baulking
you had been baulking
he/she/it had been baulking
they had been baulking
I will have been baulking
we will have been baulking
you will have been baulking
he/she/it will have been baulking
they will have been baulking
I would have baulked
we would have baulked
you would have baulked
he/she/it would have baulked
they would have baulked
I would be baulking
we would be baulking
you would be baulking
he/she/it would be baulking
they would be baulking
I would have been baulking
we would have been baulking
you would have been baulking
he/she/it would have been baulking
they would have been baulking