Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pitch-black

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.39 in modern English

Syllables
pitch-black
IPA
25
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Very dark; without light.

Etymology

From pitch (“tar”) + black. Compare West Frisian pikswart (literally “pitch-black”), Dutch pikzwart (literally “pitch-black”), German pechschwarz (literally “pitch-black”), Swedish becksvart (literally “pitch-black”), Icelandic biksvartur (literally “pitch-black”).

Inflected Forms

more pitch-black (comparative) most pitch-black (superlative) pitchblack (alternative) pitch black (alternative)

Phrases

pitch-blackened pitch-blackness

Synonyms

black as coal black as tar black as night tar-black black pitch-dark

Questions

What does pitch-black mean?
Very dark; without light.
Where does pitch-black come from?
From pitch (“tar”) + black. Compare West Frisian pikswart (literally “pitch-black”), Dutch pikzwart (literally “pitch-black”), German pechschwarz (literally “pitch-black”), Swedish becksvart (literally “pitch-black”), Icelandic biksvartur (literally “pitch-black”).

How to pronounce pitch-black

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