obstruct

Name: obstruct, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/əbˈstɹʌkt/

//əbˈstɹʌkt// verb

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“obstruct” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,862. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,862
frequency rank, English: 1,431
“O” headwords: 13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obstruct · obstruct · English

obstruct · rank #25,862 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #25,862
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 13 variants
BOOK-MID 1,431
PHOTO-FINISH nuance

Nearest frequency peer: nuance (-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.

nit

74,142
Nottinghams…

74,141
nuance

74,140
obstruct

74,139
oftentimes

74,138
orthopedic

74,137

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

Key facts for obstruct
Property	Value
Headword	obstruct
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/əbˈstɹʌkt/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#25,862
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “obstruct”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).obstructlands here:

#25,862

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nuance” (#25,861), “oftentimes” (#25,863), “Nottinghamshire” (#25,860). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “obstruct” is #25,862. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around obstruct (IPA /əbˈstɹʌkt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,862 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for obstruct, with forms such as "bostruct", "obbstruct", and "obsrtuct". 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 dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin past participle stem obstruct- (“blocked up”), from verb obstruere, from ob (“against”) + struere (“pile up, build”). The correct English form is obstruct, spelled O-B-S-T-R-U-C-T.

Definition

1
To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle.
2
To impede, retard, or interfere with; hinder.
3
To get in the way of so as to hide from sight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

They obstructed my progress.

Etymology

From Latin past participle stem obstruct- (“blocked up”), from verb obstruere, from ob (“against”) + struere (“pile up, build”).

This word in other languages

entorpecer(Español)obstruer(Français)behindern(Deutsch)obstruir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

bostruct
obbstruct
obsrtuct
obsstruct
obstrcut
obstrruct
obstrucct
obstructt
obstrutc
obsttruct
obsturct
obtsruct
osbtruct

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obstruct - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "obstruct"

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 "obstruct"?

"obstruct" is spelled O-B-S-T-R-U-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈstɹʌkt/.

What does "obstruct" mean?

As a verb, "obstruct" means: To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle.

What are common misspellings of "obstruct"?

Common misspellings include "bostruct", "obbstruct", "obsrtuct", "obsstruct", "obstrcut". The correct spelling is "obstruct".

How do you pronounce "obstruct"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obstruct" is /əbˈstɹʌkt/. 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 "obstruct"?

From Latin past participle stem obstruct- (“blocked up”), from verb obstruere, from ob (“against”) + struere (“pile up, build”). 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 "obstruct", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Monmouth#25,848 Pharrell#25,879 placenta#25,882 lukewarm#25,827

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

overriding13 variants Mongolian13 variants propagate13 variants reinstate13 variants