# obedience

> English word · Noun · IPA /ə(ʊ)ˈbiːdɪəns/ · frequency rank #15,012

## Definitions
1. The quality of being obedient.
2. The collective body of persons subject to any particular authority.
3. A written instruction from the superior of an order to those under him.
4. Any official position under an abbot's jurisdiction.

## Etymology
From Middle English obedience, from Anglo-Norman obedience, from Old French obedience (modern French obédience), from Latin oboedientia. Displaced native Old English hīersumnes (compare modern English hearsomeness). Cognate with obeisance.

## Easily confused with
- **obedient** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/obedience-vs-obedient)

## Common misspellings (13)
`boedience`, `obbedience`, `obdeience`, `obeddience`, `obedeince`, `obediance`, `obediecne`, `obediencce`, `obedienec`, `obediennce`, `obedinece`, `obeidence`, `oebdience`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/obedience