obsession

/əbˈsɛʃən/

//əbˈsɛʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“obsession” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,324. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,324
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The quality of being obsessed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obsession · obsession · English

obsession · rank #8,324 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,324
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH opt

Nearest frequency peer: opt (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “obsession”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “obsession” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

obsession vs obsessive
78% similar

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

Key facts for obsession
PropertyValue
Headwordobsession
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əbˈsɛʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,324
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “obsession”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).obsessionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “opt” (#8,325), “Ng” (#8,322), “particle” (#8,326). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “obsession” is #8,324. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around obsession (IPA /əbˈsɛʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,324 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for obsession, with forms such as "bosession", "obbsession", and "obesssion". 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, "obsessive", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin obsessio (“a besieging”), from obsidere (“to besiege”); see obsess. Equivalent to obsess + -ion. The correct English form is obsession, spelled O-B-S-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The quality of being obsessed.
  2. 2
    An idea that engenders a compulsive or irrational preoccupation, or the preoccupation thereby engendered.
  3. 3
    An activity or entity that inspires a compulsive and potentially unhealthy fixation, or the fixation thereby inspired.
  4. 4
    Influence or control by evil spirits without possession.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how obsession appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Editing Wikipedia started as a hobby, but it's turned into a complete obsession of mine.
  2. if an evil spirit counterfeits the presence of God, and comes upon the man as an influence only, it may be described as obsession; but when a footing is gained in him, it is "possession," because the obsessing spirits have gained access, and possess the ground they hold, up to the extent of the ground given.

Etymology

From Latin obsessio (“a besieging”), from obsidere (“to besiege”); see obsess. Equivalent to obsess + -ion.

This word in other languages

obsesión(Español)idée fixe(Français)fixe Idee(Deutsch)obsessão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bosession
  • obbsession
  • obesssion
  • obsesion
  • obsesison
  • obsessino
  • obsessionn
  • obsessoin
  • obsestion
  • obssesion
  • obssession
  • osbession

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obsession - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bosession2obbsession1obesssion2obsesion1obsesison2obsessino2obsessionn1obsessoin2
Edit distance from "obsession"

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 "obsession"?
"obsession" is spelled O-B-S-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈsɛʃən/.
What does "obsession" mean?
As a noun, "obsession" means: The quality of being obsessed.
What words are commonly confused with "obsession"?
"obsession" is commonly confused with "obsessive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "obsession"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obsession" is /əbˈsɛʃən/. 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 "obsession"?
From Latin obsessio (“a besieging”), from obsidere (“to besiege”); see obsess. Equivalent to obsess + -ion. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "obsession", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mortality#8,321petroleum#8,331rejection#8,339reservoir#8,341

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

particle12 variantsmonument12 variantsliteracy12 variantsrelaxing12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list