blackhead

/ˈblæk.hɛd/

//ˈblæk.hɛd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“blackhead” is uncommon English (frequency #85,042 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,042
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of comedo, a skin blemish, a type of acne vulgaris, where a pore becomes clogged with a dark, hard, cheesy keratin-filled substance forming a hard black "head" on the skin's surface.

Key facts for blackhead
PropertyValue
Headwordblackhead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblæk.hɛd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,042
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blackhead” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). blackhead lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blackhead is uncommon English at frequency #85,042 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈblæk.hɛd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for blackhead, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From black + head. The correct English form is blackhead, spelled B-L-A-C-K-H-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of comedo, a skin blemish, a type of acne vulgaris, where a pore becomes clogged with a dark, hard, cheesy keratin-filled substance forming a hard black "head" on the skin's surface.
  2. 2
    A form of histomoniasis in poultry, characterized by cyanotic discoloration on the bird's head.
  3. 3
    A scaup: any of various ducks of the genus Aythya.

Etymology

From black + head.

This word in other languages

espinilla(Español)point noir(Français)Mitesser(Deutsch)cravo(Português)

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 "blackhead"?
"blackhead" is spelled B-L-A-C-K-H-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblæk.hɛd/.
What does "blackhead" mean?
As a noun, "blackhead" means: A type of comedo, a skin blemish, a type of acne vulgaris, where a pore becomes clogged with a dark, hard, cheesy keratin-filled substance forming a hard black "head" on the skin's surface.
How do you pronounce "blackhead"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blackhead" is /ˈblæk.hɛd/. 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 "blackhead"?
From black + head. 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.

Using “blackhead”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-L-A-C-K-H-E-A-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈblæk.hɛd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list