obduracy

/ˈɒb.dʊ.ɹə.si/

//ˈɒb.dʊ.ɹə.si// noun

"obduracy" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obduracy” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being obdurate, intractable, or stubbornly inflexible.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obduracy · obduracy · English

obduracy · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Key facts for obduracy
PropertyValue
Headwordobduracy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒb.dʊ.ɹə.si/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “obduracy” in English

obduracyfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English 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.

Rare enough to double-check

obduracy is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɒb.dʊ.ɹə.si/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The state of being obdurate, intractable, or stubbornly inflexible.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for obduracy, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From obdurate + -cy. The correct English form is obduracy, spelled O-B-D-U-R-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being obdurate, intractable, or stubbornly inflexible.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. By this hand thou, thinkeſt me as farre in the diuels booke, as thou and Falſtaffe, for obduracie and perſiſtancie, let the end trie the man, [...]
  2. It might also serve to condemn the obduracy and hard-heartedness of the Jews, who relented not, when even the earth trembled and the rocks rent.

Etymology

From obdurate + -cy.

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 "obduracy"?
"obduracy" is spelled O-B-D-U-R-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒb.dʊ.ɹə.si/.
What does "obduracy" mean?
As a noun, "obduracy" means: The state of being obdurate, intractable, or stubbornly inflexible.
How do you pronounce "obduracy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obduracy" is /ˈɒb.dʊ.ɹə.si/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "obduracy"?
From obdurate + -cy. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list