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 May 6, 2026) - A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person, who may be rejected or disdained by others for this reason.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | black sheep |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “black sheep” sits in English frequency
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “black sheep”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-L-A-C-K- -S-H-E-E-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.