Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

black hole

/blæk ˈhoʊl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.60 in modern English

Syllables
black- -hole
IPA
/blæk ˈhoʊl/
20
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A void into which things disappear for good; an inscrutable area or subject.

noun

A dangerous optical illusion that can occur on a nighttime approach with dark, featureless terrain between the aircraft and a brightly-lit runway, where the aircraft appears to the pilots to be higher up than it actually is, potentially triggering a premature or overly-steep descent and a crash short of the runway.

verb

To redirect (network traffic, etc.) nowhere; to discard (incoming traffic).

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

In reference to the physical concept (region of spacetime with extreme gravitational pull), physicist Hong-Yee Chiu attributed the term to his colleague Robert H. Dicke, who stated around 1960–1961 that the objects were like the Black Hole of Calcutta. The first known usage in print was by journalist Ann Ewing in 1964. Widespread popularization of the term is generally credited to a lecture in 1967 by the physicist John Wheeler.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /blæk ˈhoʊl/
  • British English: /blæk ˈhəʊl/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Astronomy.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce black hole?
The recorded pronunciation is /blæk ˈhoʊl/.
What does black hole mean?
A place of punitive confinement; a lockup or cell; a military guardroom.
Where does black hole come from?
In reference to the physical concept (region of spacetime with extreme gravitational pull), physicist Hong-Yee Chiu attributed the term to his colleague Robert H. Dicke, who stated around 1960–1961 that the objects were like the Black Hole of Calcutta. The first known usage in print was by journalist Ann Ewing in 1964. Widespread popularization of the term is generally credited to a lecture in 1967 by the physicist John Wheeler.

How to pronounce black hole

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “black hole”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/blæk ˈhoʊl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “black hole”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “black hole” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.