black sheep
"black-sheep" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“black sheep” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person, who may be rejected or disdained by others for this reason.
Corpus desk
Index EN-black-sheep · black sheep · English
black sheep · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | black sheep |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “black sheep” in English
Rare enough to double-check
black sheep is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for black sheep in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is black sheep, spelled B-L-A-C-K- -S-H-E-E-P.
Definition
- 1A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person, who may be rejected or disdained by others for this reason.
- 2A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy.
- 3A worker who refuses to strike; a scab.
- 4Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see black, sheep.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how black sheep appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He was the black sheep in the family, as an artist among doctors and lawyers.
“It’s just what I should have expected,” said Mr. Hawley, mounting his horse. “Any cursed alien blood, Jew, Corsican, or Gypsy.”¶ “I know he’s one of your black sheep, Hawley. But he is really a disinterested, unworldly fellow,” said Mr. Farebrother, smiling.
This word in other languages
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.