blackbird

/ˈblakbəːd/

//ˈblakbəːd// noun

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

"blackbird" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blackbird” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,295. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,295
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blackbird · blackbird · English

blackbird · rank #32,295 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,295
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH beryl

Nearest frequency peer: beryl (-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 “blackbird”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “blackbird” 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).

blackbird vs Blackburn
67% similar
blackbird vs blackboard
80% similar
blackbird vs Blackbeard
70% similar

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

Key facts for blackbird
PropertyValue
Headwordblackbird
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblakbəːd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,295
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “blackbird”

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).blackbirdlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “beryl” (#32,294), “Bernice” (#32,293), “bluebird” (#32,297). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blackbird” is #32,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around blackbird (IPA /ˈblakbəːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,295 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for blackbird, with forms such as "balckbird", "bblackbird", and "blacbkird". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Blackburn", "blackboard", "Blackbeard", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird. The correct English form is blackbird, spelled B-L-A-C-K-B-I-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.
  2. 2
    A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird).
  3. 3
    A native of the South Pacific islands.

Etymology

From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.

Synonyms

common blackbirdEurasian blackbirdmerlemerlouzelicterid

This word in other languages

mirlo(Español)merle(Français)Amsel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balckbird
  • bblackbird
  • blacbkird
  • blacckbird
  • blackbbird
  • blackbidr
  • blackbirdd
  • blackbirrd
  • blackbrid
  • blackibrd
  • blackkbird
  • blakcbird
  • blcakbird
  • bllackbird
  • lbackbird

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blackbird - 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.

balckbird2bblackbird1blacbkird2blacckbird1blackbbird1blackbidr2blackbirdd1blackbirrd1
Edit distance from "blackbird"

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 "blackbird"?
"blackbird" is spelled B-L-A-C-K-B-I-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblakbəːd/.
What does "blackbird" mean?
As a noun, "blackbird" means: A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.
What words are commonly confused with "blackbird"?
"blackbird" is commonly confused with "Blackburn", "blackboard", "Blackbeard". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blackbird"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blackbird" is /ˈblakbəːd/. 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 "blackbird"?
From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird. 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 "blackbird", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bannister#32,291Aphrodite#32,276chromatic#32,320admirably#32,267

Similar misspelling depth

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

crackling15 variantsdermatitis15 variantsunimpressed15 variantsstubbornly15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list