Obelisk

[obeˈlɪsk]

/[obeˈlɪsk]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Obelisk” is uncommon German (frequency #65,544 among 1,007 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,544
frequency rank, German
1,007
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - rechteckiger Steinpfeiler mit aufgesetzter pyramidenförmiger Spitze

Corpus desk

Index DE-obelisk · Obelisk · German

Obelisk · rank #65,544 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,544
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,007
  • PHOTO-FINISH näherungsweise

Nearest frequency peer: näherungsweise (-1 rank slots)

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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „Obelisk“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „Obelisk“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Obelisk
PropertyValue
HeadwordObelisk
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[obeˈlɪsk]
Letters7
Frequency rank#65,544
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Obelisk“ im Deutschen

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).Obeliskfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „näherungsweise“ (#65,543), „Obelisken“ (#65,545), „numero“ (#65,542). Unter 1,007 „O“-Lemmata liegt „Obelisk“ bei #65,544. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Obelisk is uncommon German at frequency #65,544 among 1,007 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [obeˈlɪsk]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "rechteckiger Steinpfeiler mit aufgesetzter pyramidenförmiger Spitze".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Obelisk, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Obelisk, spelled O-B-E-L-I-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    rechteckiger Steinpfeiler mit aufgesetzter pyramidenförmiger Spitze

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Der Obelisk von Luxor war ein Geschenk ägyptischen Königs Muhammad Ali Pascha an den französischen König Louis Philippe.
  2. Der Name des Steinmetzes Obelix wird gewöhnlich als Wortspiel mit dem französischen Wort obélisque (Obelisk) angesehen.

Synonyms

Tehen-PfeilerSteleSteinsäuleSteinpfeilerSäulePfeiler

This word in other languages

obelisk(English)obelisco(Español)obelisque(Français)

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Obelisk"?
"Obelisk" is spelled O-B-E-L-I-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is [obeˈlɪsk].
What does "Obelisk" mean?
As a noun, "Obelisk" means: rechteckiger Steinpfeiler mit aufgesetzter pyramidenförmiger Spitze
How do you pronounce "Obelisk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Obelisk" is [obeˈlɪsk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Obelisk" come from?
"Obelisk" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Packers#65,557plumper#65,573Literat#65,470Reihung#65,619

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list