obnoxious

/əbˈnɒkʃəs/

//əbˈnɒkʃəs// adj

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

"obnoxious" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obnoxious” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,685 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#17,685
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Extremely offensive or unpleasant; very annoying, contemptible, or odious.

Key facts for obnoxious
PropertyValue
Headwordobnoxious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əbˈnɒkʃəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,685
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obnoxious” 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). obnoxious 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 obnoxious is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əbˈnɒkʃəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,685 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for obnoxious, with forms such as "bonoxious", "obbnoxious", and "obnnoxious". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₁epi Learned borrowing from Latin obnoxiōsus (“subject to someone, under someone’s authority”) + English -ous (suffix denoting the presence of a quality in any degree, typically an abundance). Obnoxiōsus is derived from obnoxius (“guilty, punish… The correct English form is obnoxious, spelled O-B-N-O-X-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Extremely offensive or unpleasant; very annoying, contemptible, or odious.
  2. 2
    Unjustly disagreeable, argumentative or objectionable; brazenly rude.
  3. 3
    Exposed or vulnerable to something, especially harm or injury.
  4. 4
    Causing harm or injury; harmful, hurtful, injurious.
  5. 5
    Deserving of blame or punishment; blameworthy, guilty.
  6. 6
    Under the authority or power of someone; subject, subordinate; hence, deferential, submissive, subservient.
  7. 7
    Followed by to: likely to do something.

Etymology

PIE word *h₁epi Learned borrowing from Latin obnoxiōsus (“subject to someone, under someone’s authority”) + English -ous (suffix denoting the presence of a quality in any degree, typically an abundance). Obnoxiōsus is derived from obnoxius (“guilty, punishable; subject to someone, under someone’s authority”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly; prone to’, forming adjectives from nouns).

This word in other languages

desagradable(Español)désagréable(Français)abscheulich(Deutsch)obnóxio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bonoxious,obbnoxious,obnnoxious,obnoixous,obnoxiosu,obnoxiouss,obnoxiuos,obnoxoius,obnoxxious,obnxoious,obonxious,onboxious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bonoxious2obbnoxious1obnnoxious1obnoixous2obnoxiosu2obnoxiouss1obnoxiuos2obnoxoius2
Edit distance from "obnoxious"

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 "obnoxious"?
"obnoxious" is spelled O-B-N-O-X-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈnɒkʃəs/.
What does "obnoxious" mean?
As an adjective, "obnoxious" means: Extremely offensive or unpleasant; very annoying, contemptible, or odious.
What are common misspellings of "obnoxious"?
Common misspellings include "bonoxious", "obbnoxious", "obnnoxious", "obnoixous", "obnoxiosu". The correct spelling is "obnoxious".
How do you pronounce "obnoxious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obnoxious" is /əbˈnɒkʃəs/. 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 "obnoxious"?
PIE word *h₁epi Learned borrowing from Latin obnoxiōsus (“subject to someone, under someone’s authority”) + English -ous (suffix denoting the presence of a quality in any degree, typically an abundance). Obnoxiōsus is derived from obnoxius (“guil... 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.

Using “obnoxious”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-B-N-O-X-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əbˈnɒkʃəs/ (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