obscurely

/əbˈskjʊəli/

//əbˈskjʊəli// adv

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

"obscurely" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obscurely” is uncommon English (frequency #98,510 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#98,510
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In an obscure manner.

Key facts for obscurely
PropertyValue
Headwordobscurely
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əbˈskjʊəli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#98,510
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “obscurely” 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). obscurely lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

obscurely is uncommon English at frequency #98,510 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /əbˈskjʊəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an obscure manner.".

obscurely doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From obscure + -ly. The correct English form is obscurely, spelled O-B-S-C-U-R-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an obscure manner.

Etymology

From obscure + -ly.

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 "obscurely"?
"obscurely" is spelled O-B-S-C-U-R-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈskjʊəli/.
What does "obscurely" mean?
As an adverb, "obscurely" means: In an obscure manner.
How do you pronounce "obscurely"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obscurely" is /əbˈskjʊəli/. 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 "obscurely"?
From obscure + -ly. 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 “obscurely”

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-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əbˈskjʊəli/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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