obsidian

/ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən/

//ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən// noun

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

"obsidian" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obsidian” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,903. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,903
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of naturally occurring black glass produced by volcanoes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obsidian · obsidian · English

obsidian · rank #30,903 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,903
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH o's

Nearest frequency peer: o's (-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 “obsidian”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “obsidian” 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
Key facts for obsidian
PropertyValue
Headwordobsidian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#30,903
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “obsidian”

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).obsidianlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “o's” (#30,902), “O'Rourke” (#30,901), “OE” (#30,905). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “obsidian” is #30,903. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around obsidian (IPA /ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,903 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for obsidian, with forms such as "bosidian", "obbsidian", and "obisdian". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin obsidianus; named after Obsidius, who was, according to Pliny, the Roman who discovered the stone in Aethiopia. The correct English form is obsidian, spelled O-B-S-I-D-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of naturally occurring black glass produced by volcanoes.
  2. 2
    A slightly bluish black, the color of obsidian glass.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Neolithic culture from 8000 to 6000 B.C., however, was a brilliant period of the revival of crafts, the transformation of gathering into gardening, the growth of a cross-cultural obsidian trade, and the rise of towns.

Etymology

From Latin obsidianus; named after Obsidius, who was, according to Pliny, the Roman who discovered the stone in Aethiopia.

This word in other languages

obsidiana(Español)obsidienne(Français)Obsidian(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bosidian
  • obbsidian
  • obisdian
  • obsdiian
  • obsidain
  • obsiddian
  • obsidiann
  • obsidina
  • obsiidan
  • obssidian
  • osbidian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obsidian - 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.

bosidian2obbsidian1obisdian2obsdiian2obsidain2obsiddian1obsidiann1obsidina2
Edit distance from "obsidian"

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 "obsidian"?
"obsidian" is spelled O-B-S-I-D-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən/.
What does "obsidian" mean?
As a noun, "obsidian" means: A type of naturally occurring black glass produced by volcanoes.
What are common misspellings of "obsidian"?
Common misspellings include "bosidian", "obbsidian", "obisdian", "obsdiian", "obsidain". The correct spelling is "obsidian".
How do you pronounce "obsidian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obsidian" is /ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən/. 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 "obsidian"?
From Latin obsidianus; named after Obsidius, who was, according to Pliny, the Roman who discovered the stone in Aethiopia. 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 "obsidian", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

O'Rourke#30,901phishing#30,917McFadden#30,880marketer#30,877

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Penrith11 variantsminster11 variantsquotient11 variantssailboat11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list