oblate

/ˈɒbleɪt/

//ˈɒbleɪt// noun

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

"oblate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“oblate” is uncommon English (frequency #75,253 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,253
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person dedicated to a life of religion or monasticism, especially a member of an order without religious vows or a lay member of a religious community.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oblate · oblate · English

oblate · rank #75,253 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,253
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH occlusive

Nearest frequency peer: occlusive (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “oblate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “oblate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for oblate
PropertyValue
Headwordoblate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒbleɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#75,253
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “oblate” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).oblatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “occlusive” (#75,254), “Nylander” (#75,251), “Nyack” (#75,250). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oblate” is #75,253. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

oblate is uncommon English at frequency #75,253 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɒbleɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for oblate in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French oblat and its source, Ecclesiastical Latin oblātus (“person dedicated to religious life”), nominalization of oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō (“to offer”); see -ate (noun-forming suffix). The correct English form is oblate, spelled O-B-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person dedicated to a life of religion or monasticism, especially a member of an order without religious vows or a lay member of a religious community.
  2. 2
    A child given up by its parents into the keeping or dedication of a religious order or house.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 2007, The Venerable Bede started as an oblate at St Paul's, Jarrow, but by the time of his death in 735 was surely the most learned man in Europe. — Tom Shippey, ‘I Lerne Song’, London Review of Books 29:4, p. 19

Etymology

From French oblat and its source, Ecclesiastical Latin oblātus (“person dedicated to religious life”), nominalization of oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō (“to offer”); see -ate (noun-forming suffix).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "oblate"?
"oblate" is spelled O-B-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒbleɪt/.
What does "oblate" mean?
As a noun, "oblate" means: A person dedicated to a life of religion or monasticism, especially a member of an order without religious vows or a lay member of a religious community.
How do you pronounce "oblate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oblate" is /ˈɒbleɪt/. 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 "oblate"?
From French oblat and its source, Ecclesiastical Latin oblātus (“person dedicated to religious life”), nominalization of oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō (“to offer”); see -ate (noun-forming suffix). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

peptic#75,282Mosely#75,220Pillay#75,298masher#75,187

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list