obscenity
"obscenity" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“obscenity” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,947 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #32,947
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that is obscene.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | obscenity |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #32,947 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “obscenity” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for obscenity is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #32,947 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for obscenity, with forms such as "boscenity", "obbscenity", and "obcsenity". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "obscurity", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From obscene + -ity, from Latin obscenitas. The correct English form is obscenity, spelled O-B-S-C-E-N-I-T-Y.
Definition
- 1Something that is obscene.
- 2An act of obscene behaviour.
- 3Specifically, an offensive word; a profanity; a dirty word.
- 4Lewdness, indecency, or offensive behaviour or material.
- 5The fact of being obscene.
Etymology
From obscene + -ity, from Latin obscenitas.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: boscenity,obbscenity,obcsenity,obsccenity,obsceinty,obscenitty,obscenityy,obsceniyt,obscennity,obscentiy,obscneity,obsecnity,obsscenity,osbcenity
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obscenity - 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.
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 "obscenity"?
What does "obscenity" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "obscenity"?
What is the origin of the word "obscenity"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “obscenity”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-B-S-C-E-N-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Don't mix it up with “obscurity” - see the side-by-side comparison. obscenity vs obscurity
- 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.