Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

black dog

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.94 in modern English

Syllables: black- -dog
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Depression, melancholy.

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see black, dog.

name

A small village in Washford Pyne parish and Woolfardisworthy parish, Mid Devon district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SS8009).

Example Sentences

"A light seen suddenly in the storm, snow / Coming from all sides, like flakes / Of sleep, and myself / On the road to the dark barn, / Halfway there, a black dog near me"
"There's a black dog on my shoulder again / I'm playing with it but it's gone to my head"
"I can't breathe, feed the black dog / Refuse to breathe, refuse to fuck"
"Apologies, Miss Armstrong, the black dog has got me in its teeth."
"I take a jump off the fire escape / To make the black dog go away"

Etymology

A personification, attested from 1826. Popularized by Winston Churchill, although it is not clear if he specifically referred to mental health.

Inflected Forms

the black dog (canonical)

Phrases

black dog syndrome

Frequently Paired Words

black dog syndrome

Questions

What does black dog mean?: Depression, melancholy.
Where does black dog come from?: A personification, attested from 1826. Popularized by Winston Churchill, although it is not clear if he specifically referred to mental health.

How to pronounce black dog

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