obscure
ob·scure/əbˈskjʊɹ/adjective, verb
obscure is spelled O-B-S-C-U-R-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (ob·scure). It appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, obscure means “Dark, faint or indistinct” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in obscure?
| Letters | 7: O-B-S-C-U-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ob·scure |
| In writing | 7.1 times per million words; the 8,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is obscure?
Obscure appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce obscure?
- /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/
- /əbˈskjɔː(ɹ)/
- US /əbˈskjʊɹ/
Obscure has 2 syllables, split ob·scure in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-obscure.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with obscure?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as obscure from its last stressed vowel (/ʊɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of obscure
- obscurer comparative
- more obscure comparative
- obscurest superlative
- most obscure superlative
- obscures present, singular, he/she/it
- obscuring participle, present
- obscured participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does obscure mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Dark, faint or indistinct.
I found myself in an obscure wood.
- 2
Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
- 3
Difficult to understand; abstruse.
an obscure passage or inscription; The speaker made obscure references to little-known literary works.
- 4
Not well-known.
- 5
Unknown or uncertain; unclear.
The etymological roots of the word "blizzard" are obscure and open to debate.
verb
- 1
To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious.
- 2
To hide, put out of sight etc.
- 3
obsoleteTo conceal oneself; to hide.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Obscure in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | obscur , sibyllin , obscurcir |
| German | obskur, dunkel, vernebelt, finster, düster, undeutlich |
| Portuguese | obscuro |
| Spanish | obscuro , conceptuoso , obscurecer , esconder, ocultar, asconder |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does obscure come from?
From Middle English obscure, from Old French obscur, from Latin obscūrus (“dark, dusky, indistinct”), from ob- + *scūrus, from Proto-Italic *skoiros, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃-. Doublet of oscuro.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).