obskur

[ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯]

/[ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯]/ adj

The verdict

“obskur” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - anrüchig, von schlechtem Ruf

Key facts for obskur
PropertyValue
Headwordobskur
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obskur” sits in German frequency

obskur falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for obskur is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for obskur, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is obskur, spelled O-B-S-K-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    anrüchig, von schlechtem Ruf
  2. 2
    unbekannt, mysteriös

Synonyms

Antonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "obskur"?
"obskur" is spelled O-B-S-K-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯].
What does "obskur" mean?
As an adjective, "obskur" means: anrüchig, von schlechtem Ruf
How do you pronounce "obskur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obskur" is [ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "obskur" come from?
"obskur" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “obskur”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is O-B-S-K-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ɔpsˈkuːɐ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list