# obscure

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əbˈskjʊə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #8,965

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

## Easily confused with
- **obscene** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/obscene-vs-obscure)

## Common misspellings (10)
`boscure`, `obbscure`, `obcsure`, `obsccure`, `obscrue`, `obscuer`, `obscurre`, `obsscure`, `obsucre`, `osbcure`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/obscure