obligatory

/əˈblɪɡ.ə.t(ə)ɹi/

//əˈblɪɡ.ə.t(ə)ɹi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“obligatory” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,429. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,429
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or otherwise; binding; mandatory.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obligatory · obligatory · English

obligatory · rank #17,429 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,429
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH nudity

Nearest frequency peer: nudity (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “obligatory”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “obligatory” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for obligatory
PropertyValue
Headwordobligatory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈblɪɡ.ə.t(ə)ɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#17,429
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obligatory” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).obligatorylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nudity” (#17,428), “oceanic” (#17,430), “nesting” (#17,427). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around obligatory (IPA /əˈblɪɡ.ə.t(ə)ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #17,429 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for obligatory, with forms such as "boligatory", "obbligatory", and "obilgatory". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English obligatorie, from Latin obligatōrius. The correct English form is obligatory, spelled O-B-L-I-G-A-T-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or otherwise; binding; mandatory.
  2. 2
    Requiring a matter or obligation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an obligatory promise
  2. […] if he speak the words of an oath in a strange language, thinking they signify something else, or if he spake in his sleep, or deliration, or distraction, it is no oath, and so not obligatory.

Etymology

From Middle English obligatorie, from Latin obligatōrius.

Synonyms

boundenmandatoryincumbent

Antonyms

optional

This word in other languages

obligatorio(Español)obligatoire(Français)obligatorisch(Deutsch)obrigatório(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • boligatory
  • obbligatory
  • obilgatory
  • oblgiatory
  • obliagtory
  • obligaotry
  • obligatorry
  • obligatoryy
  • obligatoyr
  • obligatroy
  • obligattory
  • obliggatory
  • obligtaory
  • oblligatory
  • olbigatory

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obligatory - 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.

boligatory2obbligatory1obilgatory2oblgiatory2obliagtory2obligaotry2obligatorry1obligatoryy1
Edit distance from "obligatory"

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 "obligatory"?
"obligatory" is spelled O-B-L-I-G-A-T-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈblɪɡ.ə.t(ə)ɹi/.
What does "obligatory" mean?
As an adjective, "obligatory" means: Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or otherwise; binding; mandatory.
What are common misspellings of "obligatory"?
Common misspellings include "boligatory", "obbligatory", "obilgatory", "oblgiatory", "obliagtory". The correct spelling is "obligatory".
How do you pronounce "obligatory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obligatory" is /əˈblɪɡ.ə.t(ə)ɹi/. 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 "obligatory"?
From Middle English obligatorie, from Latin obligatōrius. 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 "obligatory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

negligible#17,426melancholy#17,414playwright#17,445rainforest#17,452

Similar misspelling depth

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

Madagascar15 variantsinhibition15 variantsheartbreak15 variantsgrievances15 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "obligatory". Here's where to go from here.

  • 15 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #17,429 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "O" letter cohort. O–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list