obligation

/ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/

//ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩// noun

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

"obligation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obligation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,390. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,390
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obligation · obligation · English

obligation · rank #6,390 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,390
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH notable

Nearest frequency peer: notable (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “obligation”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “obligation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

obligation vs obligations
91% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for obligation
PropertyValue
Headwordobligation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#6,390
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “obligation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).obligationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “notable” (#6,389), “optical” (#6,391), “nomination” (#6,388). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “obligation” is #6,390. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around obligation (IPA /ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,390 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for obligation, with forms such as "boligation", "obbligation", and "obilgation". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "obligations", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”). The correct English form is obligation, spelled O-B-L-I-G-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.
  2. 2
    A social, legal, or moral requirement, duty, contract, or promise that compels someone to follow or avoid a particular course of action.
  3. 3
    A course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience by which someone is bound or restricted.
  4. 4
    A legal agreement stipulating a specified action or forbearance by a party to the agreement; the document containing such agreement.
  5. 5
    Reason for being obliged to, that is, grateful for, something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I feel I'm under obligation to attend my sister's wedding, even though we have a very frosty relationship.
  2. The only responsibility and power of the Vice President under the Constitution is to faithfully count the electoral college votes as they have been cast. The Constitution does not empower the Vice President to alter in any way the votes that have been cast, either by rejecting certain of them or otherwise. How the Vice President discharges this constituti…

Etymology

From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”).

Synonyms

commitmentduty

This word in other languages

obligación(Español)obligation(Français)Verpflichtung(Deutsch)obrigação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • boligation
  • obbligation
  • obilgation
  • oblgiation
  • obliagtion
  • obligaiton
  • obligasion
  • obligatino
  • obligationn
  • obligatoin
  • obligattion
  • obliggation
  • obligtaion
  • oblligation
  • olbigation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obligation - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

boligation2obbligation1obilgation2oblgiation2obliagtion2obligaiton2obligasion1obligatino2
Edit distance from "obligation"

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 "obligation"?
"obligation" is spelled O-B-L-I-G-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/.
What does "obligation" mean?
As a noun, "obligation" means: The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.
What words are commonly confused with "obligation"?
"obligation" is commonly confused with "obligations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "obligation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obligation" is /ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/. 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 "obligation"?
From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”). 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 "obligation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nomination#6,388nationwide#6,383motorcycle#6,382responding#6,408

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

prospects15 variantsgraduation15 variantstremendous15 variantscapability15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list