obscure

/əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/

//əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)// adj

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

"obscure" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obscure” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,965 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#8,965
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dark, faint or indistinct.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

obscure vs obscene
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for obscure
PropertyValue
Headwordobscure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,965
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obscure” 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). obscure 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 obscure is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,965 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for obscure, with forms such as "boscure", "obbscure", and "obcsure". 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, "obscene", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is obscure, spelled O-B-S-C-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dark, faint or indistinct.
  2. 2
    Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous.
  3. 3
    Difficult to understand; abstruse.
  4. 4
    Not well-known.
  5. 5
    Unknown or uncertain; unclear.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

obscuro(Español)obscur(Français)obskur(Deutsch)obscuro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: boscure,obbscure,obcsure,obsccure,obscrue,obscuer,obscurre,obsscure,obsucre,osbcure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obscure - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

boscure2obbscure1obcsure2obsccure1obscrue2obscuer2obscurre1obsscure1
Edit distance from "obscure"

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 "obscure"?
"obscure" is spelled O-B-S-C-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "obscure" mean?
As an adjective, "obscure" means: Dark, faint or indistinct.
What words are commonly confused with "obscure"?
"obscure" is commonly confused with "obscene". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "obscure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obscure" is /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/. 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 "obscure"?
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. 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 “obscure”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-B-S-C-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “obscene” - see the side-by-side comparison. obscure vs obscene
  • 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