obol

/ˈɑ.bəl/

//ˈɑ.bəl// noun

"obol" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obol” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A silver coin of Ancient Greece.

Key facts for obol
PropertyValue
Headwordobol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɑ.bəl/
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obol” sits in English frequency

obol falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

obol is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɑ.bəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for obol, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀβολός (obolós) (literally “spit” or “iron rod”). Doublet of obole and pul. The correct English form is obol, spelled O-B-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A silver coin of Ancient Greece.
  2. 2
    A weight, equivalent to one sixth of a drachma.

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀβολός (obolós) (literally “spit” or “iron rod”). Doublet of obole and pul.

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 "obol"?
"obol" is spelled O-B-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɑ.bəl/.
What does "obol" mean?
As a noun, "obol" means: A silver coin of Ancient Greece.
How do you pronounce "obol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obol" is /ˈɑ.bəl/. 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 "obol"?
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀβολός (obolós) (literally “spit” or “iron rod”). Doublet of obole and pul. 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 “obol”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-B-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɑ.bəl/ (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