obsolescence
/ˌɒb.səˈlɛs.əns/
"obsolescence" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“obsolescence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,289 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #43,289
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 19
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being obsolete—no longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | obsolescence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɒb.səˈlɛs.əns/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #43,289 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “obsolescence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for obsolescence is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɒb.səˈlɛs.əns/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,289 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for obsolescence, with forms such as "bosolescence", "obbsolescence", and "oboslescence". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin obsolēscēns present participle of obsolēscere. The correct English form is obsolescence, spelled O-B-S-O-L-E-S-C-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1The state of being obsolete—no longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected.
- 2The process of becoming obsolete, outmoded or out of date.
Etymology
From Latin obsolēscēns present participle of obsolēscere.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bosolescence,obbsolescence,oboslescence,obsloescence,obsoelscence,obsolecsence,obsolescance,obsolesccence,obsolescecne,obsolescencce,obsolescenec,obsolescennce,obsolescnece,obsolesecnce,obsolesscence,obsollescence,obsolsecence,obssolescence,osbolescence
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obsolescence - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “obsolescence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-B-S-O-L-E-S-C-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɒb.səˈlɛs.əns/ (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
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.