blockhead

noun

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

The verdict

“blockhead” is uncommon English (frequency #73,001 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,001
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stupid person.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blockhead · blockhead · English

blockhead · rank #73,001 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,001
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bleary

Nearest frequency peer: bleary (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “blockhead”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “blockhead” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for blockhead
PropertyValue
Headwordblockhead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#73,001
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “blockhead” in English

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).blockheadfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “bleary” (#73,000), “Bisset” (#72,999), “blowup” (#73,003). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “blockhead” is #73,001. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

blockhead is uncommon English at frequency #73,001 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for blockhead in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1532, block (noun) + -head. The correct English form is blockhead, spelled B-L-O-C-K-H-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stupid person.
  2. 2
    Short for human blockhead

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [S]o I think, blockheads, ſaid Manfred; what is it has ſcared you thus?
  2. […]like a conceited mechanic in a village ale-house, you would set down every one who differs from you as an ignorant blockhead[…]

Etymology

1532, block (noun) + -head.

This word in other languages

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 "blockhead"?
"blockhead" is spelled B-L-O-C-K-H-E-A-D.
What does "blockhead" mean?
As a noun, "blockhead" means: A stupid person.
What is the origin of the word "blockhead"?
1532, block (noun) + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list