blackness

/ˈblæknəs/

//ˈblæknəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“blackness” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,682. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,682
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or quality of being black in colour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blackness · blackness · English

blackness · rank #25,682 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #25,682
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH biographer

Nearest frequency peer: biographer (-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 “blackness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “blackness” 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).

blackness vs blackest
78% similar

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

Key facts for blackness
PropertyValue
Headwordblackness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblæknəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,682
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “blackness”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).blacknesslands 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 “biographer” (#25,681), “bollocks” (#25,683), “Bhutan” (#25,680). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blackness” is #25,682. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around blackness (IPA /ˈblæknəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,682 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for blackness, with forms such as "balckness", "bblackness", and "blacckness". 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, "blackest", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English blaknesse, equivalent to black + -ness. Sense 5 most likely both originated from the masque The Masque of Blackness by Ben Jonson and later changed to its current positive sense. The correct English form is blackness, spelled B-L-A-C-K-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being black in colour.
  2. 2
    Any space that such colour pervades.
  3. 3
    Darkness, gloominess; depression.
  4. 4
    The quality of being evil or dismal.
  5. 5
    The state of being of African descent.
  6. 6
    The experiences and culture of African-American people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The blackness of outer space comes from the lack of anything to reflect light rather than the absence of light.
  2. The lights of Luluabourg disappeared, and we were in the blackness of the African night, which was continuously pierced by the showers of red sparks ejected skywards and red hot ashes deposited on the track as the fireman rocked his fire.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English blaknesse, equivalent to black + -ness. Sense 5 most likely both originated from the masque The Masque of Blackness by Ben Jonson and later changed to its current positive sense.

Antonyms

blacklessnesswhiteness

This word in other languages

negrura(Español)noirceur(Français)Schwärze(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balckness
  • bblackness
  • blacckness
  • blackenss
  • blackkness
  • blacknes
  • blacknness
  • blacknses
  • blacnkess
  • blakcness
  • blcakness
  • bllackness
  • lbackness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of blackness - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

balckness2bblackness1blacckness1blackenss2blackkness1blacknes1blacknness1blacknses2
Edit distance from "blackness"

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 "blackness"?
"blackness" is spelled B-L-A-C-K-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblæknəs/.
What does "blackness" mean?
As a noun, "blackness" means: The state or quality of being black in colour.
What words are commonly confused with "blackness"?
"blackness" is commonly confused with "blackest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blackness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blackness" is /ˈblæknəs/. 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 "blackness"?
Inherited from Middle English blaknesse, equivalent to black + -ness. Sense 5 most likely both originated from the masque The Masque of Blackness by Ben Jonson and later changed to its current positive sense. 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 "blackness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

briefcase#25,688barricade#25,675atonement#25,670assailant#25,667

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

auspicious13 variantsanxiously13 variantscrowning13 variantsviolinist13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list