obliging

/əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ/

//əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ// adj

"obliging" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obliging” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #46,663 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#46,663
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Happy and ready to do favours for others.

Key facts for obliging
PropertyValue
Headwordobliging
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#46,663
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obliging” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for obliging is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #46,663 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Happy and ready to do favours for others.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for obliging, with forms such as "boliging", "obbliging", and "obilging". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is obliging, spelled O-B-L-I-G-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Happy and ready to do favours for others.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: boliging,obbliging,obilging,oblgiing,obligging,obligign,obligingg,obliginng,oblignig,obliigng,oblliging,olbiging

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

boliging2obbliging1obilging2oblgiing2obligging1obligign2obligingg1obliginng1
Edit distance from "obliging"

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 "obliging"?
"obliging" is spelled O-B-L-I-G-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ/.
What does "obliging" mean?
As an adjective, "obliging" means: Happy and ready to do favours for others.
What are common misspellings of "obliging"?
Common misspellings include "boliging", "obbliging", "obilging", "oblgiing", "obligging". The correct spelling is "obliging".
How do you pronounce "obliging"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obliging" is /əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "obliging" come from?
"obliging" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “obliging”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is O-B-L-I-G-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈblaɪd͡ʒɪŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list