obelus
obe·lus/ˈɑbələs/noun
obelus is spelled O-B-E-L-U-S: 6 letters and 2 syllables (obe·lus). It appears about once in every 54 million words in written English, the 228,409th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, obelus means “A symbol resembling a horizontal line (–), sometimes together with one or two dots (for example, ⨪ or ÷), which was used in ancient manuscripts and…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of obelus is obeluses or obeli.
How many letters and syllables are in obelus?
| Letters | 6: O-B-E-L-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: obe·lus |
| In writing | about once in every 54 million words; the 228,409th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is obelus?
Obelus appears about once in every 54 million words in written English, the 228,409th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce obelus?
- UK /ˈɒbɪləs/
- UK /ˈɒbləs/
- US /ˈɑbələs/
Obelus has 2 syllables, split obe·lus in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-obelus.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with obelus?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as obelus (/ɑbələs/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: blouse, boules.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of obelus
- obeluses plural
- obeli plural
- obolus
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does obelus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A symbol resembling a horizontal line (–), sometimes together with one or two dots (for example, ⨪ or ÷), which was used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtful or spurious, or redundant; an obelisk.
- 2
A dagger symbol (†), which is used in printed matter as a reference mark to refer the reader to a footnote, marginal note, etc.; beside a person's name to indicate that the person is deceased; or beside a date to indicate that it is a person's death date; an obelisk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Obelus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense symbol used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtf:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does obelus come from?
From Middle English obelus, obelo, from Old English obelus, from Late Latin obelus (“critical mark”), from Koine Greek ὀβελός (obelós, “critical mark”), Ancient Greek ὀβελός (obelós, “rod, spit; obelisk; critical mark”). The further etymology is uncertain; a derivation from βέλος (bélos, “arrow, dart, missile”) (from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to pierce; to reach; to throw; to hit by throwing”)) has been suggested, but the initial vowel remains unexplained. Compare obelisk. The plural form obeli is derived from Late Latin obeli, from Ancient Greek ὀβελοί (obeloí).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).