oblige

/əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/

//əˈblaɪd͡ʒ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“oblige” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,505. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,505
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oblige · oblige · English

oblige · rank #25,505 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,505
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH objectivity

Nearest frequency peer: objectivity (-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 “oblige”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “oblige” 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).

oblige vs olive
67% similar
oblige vs ollie
67% similar
oblige vs online
67% similar

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

Key facts for oblige
PropertyValue
Headwordoblige
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,505
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “oblige”

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).obligelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “objectivity” (#25,504), “ogre” (#25,506), “oiled” (#25,507). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oblige” is #25,505. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around oblige (IPA /əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,505 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for oblige, with forms such as "bolige", "obblige", and "obilge". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "olive", "ollie", "online", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligō, obligāre, from ob- + ligō. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin. The correct English form is oblige, spelled O-B-L-I-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.
  2. 2
    To do (someone) a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation).
  3. 3
    To be indebted to someone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I am obliged to report to the police station every week.
  2. Tho' he was some time awake before me, yet did he not offer to disturb a repose he had given me so much occasion for; but on my first stirring, which was not till past ten o'clock, I was oblig'd to endure one more trial of his manhood.

Etymology

From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligō, obligāre, from ob- + ligō. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin.

This word in other languages

obligar(Español)imposer(Français)verpflichten(Deutsch)obrigar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bolige
  • obblige
  • obilge
  • oblgie
  • oblieg
  • obligge
  • obllige
  • olbige

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of oblige - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bolige2obblige1obilge2oblgie2oblieg2obligge1obllige1olbige2
Edit distance from "oblige"

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 "oblige"?
"oblige" is spelled O-B-L-I-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "oblige" mean?
As a verb, "oblige" means: To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.
What words are commonly confused with "oblige"?
"oblige" is commonly confused with "olive", "ollie", "online". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "oblige"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oblige" is /əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "oblige"?
From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligō, obligāre, from ob- + ligō. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin. 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 "oblige", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Nellie#25,496Nazism#25,495Paulie#25,519Payton#25,520

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

pesky8 variantsMindy8 variantsMedusa8 variantsprays8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list