blackberry

/ˈblækbəɹi/

//ˈblækbəɹi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"blackberry" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blackberry” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,009. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,009
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blackberry · blackberry · English

blackberry · rank #12,009 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #12,009
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH basil

Nearest frequency peer: basil (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “blackberry”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “blackberry” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

blackberry vs Blackbeard
70% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for blackberry
PropertyValue
Headwordblackberry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblækbəɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#12,009
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “blackberry”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).blackberrylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “basil” (#12,008), “Bolton” (#12,010), “bamboo” (#12,007). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blackberry” is #12,009. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around blackberry (IPA /ˈblækbəɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,009 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for blackberry, with forms such as "balckberry", "bblackberry", and "blacbkerry". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Blackbeard", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blakberie, blakeberie (“brambleberry”), from Old English blacu berġe, blæcberġe (attested in plural blaca berġan, equivalent to black + berry. The correct English form is blackberry, spelled B-L-A-C-K-B-E-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids.
  2. 2
    The soft fruit borne by this shrub, formed of a black (when ripe) cluster of drupelets.
  3. 3
    Any Rubus berry that is black or blackish; the plant that produces it.
  4. 4
    The blackcurrant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how blackberry appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Here at the creek, a ways off from the trail, we have blackberries for now, not as fat and sweet as they get, but I like them tart, with that little bit of red still at their tops, or if they’re just a little hard and not so soft they come off when you pull at them and leave your fingers stained.

Etymology

From Middle English blakberie, blakeberie (“brambleberry”), from Old English blacu berġe, blæcberġe (attested in plural blaca berġan, equivalent to black + berry.

This word in other languages

zarza(Español)ronce(Français)Brombeerstrauch(Deutsch)amoreira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balckberry
  • bblackberry
  • blacbkerry
  • blacckberry
  • blackbberry
  • blackberryy
  • blackbery
  • blackberyr
  • blackbrery
  • blackebrry
  • blackkberry
  • blakcberry
  • blcakberry
  • bllackberry
  • lbackberry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blackberry - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

balckberry2bblackberry1blacbkerry2blacckberry1blackbberry1blackberryy1blackbery1blackberyr2
Edit distance from "blackberry"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "blackberry"?
"blackberry" is spelled B-L-A-C-K-B-E-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblækbəɹi/.
What does "blackberry" mean?
As a noun, "blackberry" means: A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids.
What words are commonly confused with "blackberry"?
"blackberry" is commonly confused with "Blackbeard". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blackberry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blackberry" is /ˈblækbəɹi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "blackberry"?
From Middle English blakberie, blakeberie (“brambleberry”), from Old English blacu berġe, blæcberġe (attested in plural blaca berġan, equivalent to black + berry. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "blackberry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unofficial#11,993derivative#12,034discomfort#12,035formidable#12,050

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

Highlands15 variantsproceeding15 variantshypocrisy15 variantsperipheral15 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list