obstinacy

/ˈɑbstɪnəsi/

//ˈɑbstɪnəsi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“obstinacy” is uncommon English (frequency #72,604 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,604
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state, or an act, of stubbornness or doggedness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obstinacy · obstinacy · English

obstinacy · rank #72,604 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,604
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH occultism

Nearest frequency peer: occultism (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “obstinacy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “obstinacy” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for obstinacy
PropertyValue
Headwordobstinacy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɑbstɪnəsi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#72,604
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “obstinacy” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).obstinacyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “occultism” (#72,605), “Noyce” (#72,601), “norovirus” (#72,600). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “obstinacy” is #72,604. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

obstinacy is uncommon English at frequency #72,604 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɑbstɪnəsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for obstinacy, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From obstinate + -cy. The correct English form is obstinacy, spelled O-B-S-T-I-N-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state, or an act, of stubbornness or doggedness.
  2. 2
    A group of bison; the collective noun for bison.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He finished only through a mixture of determined obstinacy and ingenuity.
  2. "I don't know where," replied the girl. "Then I do," said Sikes, more in the spirit of obstinacy than because he had any real objection.

Etymology

From obstinate + -cy.

Synonyms

convictioninsistencerecalcitrancestubbornnesstenacityobstinacydoggednesspertinacityself-willresolvetemerityvehemenceintransigencepigheadedness

This word in other languages

porfía(Español)entêtement(Français)Sturheit(Deutsch)obstinação(Português)

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 "obstinacy"?
"obstinacy" is spelled O-B-S-T-I-N-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɑbstɪnəsi/.
What does "obstinacy" mean?
As a noun, "obstinacy" means: The state, or an act, of stubbornness or doggedness.
How do you pronounce "obstinacy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obstinacy" is /ˈɑbstɪnəsi/. 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 "obstinacy"?
From obstinate + -cy. 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 "obstinacy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

occultism#72,605norovirus#72,600Orpington#72,618overspend#72,627

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list