obliquity
/əˈblɪkwɪti/
"obliquity" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“obliquity” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The quality of being oblique in direction, deviating from the horizontal or vertical; or the angle created by such a deviation.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | obliquity |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈblɪkwɪti/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “obliquity” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
obliquity is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈblɪkwɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
obliquity has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French obliquité, from Latin oblīquitās, from oblīquus (“oblique”). Corresponding to oblique + -ity. The correct English form is obliquity, spelled O-B-L-I-Q-U-I-T-Y.
Definition
- 1The quality of being oblique in direction, deviating from the horizontal or vertical; or the angle created by such a deviation.
- 2Axial tilt.
- 3Mental or moral deviation or perversity; immorality.
- 4The quality of being obscure, oftentimes willfully, sometimes as an exercise in euphemism.
Etymology
From Middle French obliquité, from Latin oblīquitās, from oblīquus (“oblique”). Corresponding to oblique + -ity.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "obliquity"?
What does "obliquity" mean?
How do you pronounce "obliquity"?
What is the origin of the word "obliquity"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “obliquity”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-B-L-I-Q-U-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈblɪkwɪti/ (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.