blackout

/ˈblæk.aʊt/

//ˈblæk.aʊt// noun

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

"blackout" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“blackout” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,287. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,287
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A temporary loss of consciousness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blackout · blackout · English

blackout · rank #13,287 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,287
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH begged

Nearest frequency peer: begged (-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 “blackout”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “blackout” 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).

blackout vs blackouts
89% similar
blackout vs blackest
75% similar

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

Key facts for blackout
PropertyValue
Headwordblackout
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblæk.aʊt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,287
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “blackout”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “begged” (#13,286), “bluff” (#13,288), “beau” (#13,285). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blackout” is #13,287. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around blackout (IPA /ˈblæk.aʊt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,287 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for blackout, with forms such as "balckout", "bblackout", and "blacckout". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "blackouts", "blackest", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from black out. The correct English form is blackout, spelled B-L-A-C-K-O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A temporary loss of consciousness.
  2. 2
    A temporary loss of memory.
  3. 3
    A large-scale power failure, and resulting loss of electricity to consumers.
  4. 4
    An instance of censorship, especially a temporary one.
  5. 5
    An intentional outage of a website or other online service, typically as a form of protest.
  6. 6
    The mandatory blocking of all light emanating from buildings, as well as outdoor and street lighting as a measure against aerial bombing or naval attack, as imposed during, e.g., World War II.
  7. 7
    The blocking out of as much light as possible.
  8. 8
    A mass murder committed, usually in an urban area, to eliminate potential witnesses of a previous crime.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “I mean, what is she even talking about? Got her pregnant at the Halloween party? What does that mean? I don't even remember that party. I was wasted.” “Yeah, me too. I browned out that evening.” “"browned out"? What's "browned out"?” “Oh, it's when you drink so much that everything goes brown. It's not as severe as a blackout, 'cause I remember bits and…
  2. The repairs at the Koeberg Power Station in the Western Cape were on schedule for completion in the third week of May. This follows huge blackouts related to the problems at the power supplier since November.

Etymology

Deverbal from black out.

This word in other languages

desmayo(Español)blackout(Français)Blackout(Deutsch)desmaio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balckout
  • bblackout
  • blacckout
  • blackkout
  • blackotu
  • blackoutt
  • blackuot
  • blacokut
  • blakcout
  • blcakout
  • bllackout
  • lbackout

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

balckout2bblackout1blacckout1blackkout1blackotu2blackoutt1blackuot2blacokut2
Edit distance from "blackout"

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 "blackout"?
"blackout" is spelled B-L-A-C-K-O-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblæk.aʊt/.
What does "blackout" mean?
As a noun, "blackout" means: A temporary loss of consciousness.
What words are commonly confused with "blackout"?
"blackout" is commonly confused with "blackouts", "blackest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blackout"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blackout" is /ˈblæk.aʊt/. 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 "blackout"?
Deverbal from black out. 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 "blackout", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

backdrop#13,283charcoal#13,296Winnipeg#13,273societal#13,243

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Bollywood12 variantscyclist12 variantseccentric12 variantsremarked12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list