obstreperous
/əbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/
"obstreperous" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“obstreperous” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Attended by, or making, a loud and tumultuous noise; boisterous.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | obstreperous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /əbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “obstreperous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for obstreperous is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for obstreperous in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin obstreperus, first attested circa 17th c. Compare obstropulous. The correct English form is obstreperous, spelled O-B-S-T-R-E-P-E-R-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Attended by, or making, a loud and tumultuous noise; boisterous.
- 2Stubbornly defiant; disobedient; resistant to authority or control (whether in a noisy manner or not).
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin obstreperus, first attested circa 17th c. Compare obstropulous.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “obstreperous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-B-S-T-R-E-P-E-R-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/ (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.