obstruent
/ˈɒbstɹuːənt/adjective, noun
obstruent is spelled O-B-S-T-R-U-E-N-T: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 45 million words in written English, the 206,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, obstruent means “Causing obstruction; blocking up” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in obstruent?
| Letters | 9: O-B-S-T-R-U-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 45 million words; the 206,808th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is obstruent?
Obstruent appears about once in every 45 million words in written English, the 206,808th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce obstruent?
- /ˈɒbstɹuːənt/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-obstruent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of obstruent
- more obstruent comparative
- most obstruent superlative
- obstruents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does obstruent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Causing obstruction; blocking up.
an obstruent medicine
noun
- 1
A consonant sound formed by obstructing the airway, causing turbulence; a plosive, fricative, or affricate.
- 2
Anything that obstructs, especially in the passages of the body.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Obstruent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense consonant sound formed by obstructing the airway:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Obstruent, Geräuschlaut |
| Portuguese | obstruinte, consoante obstruente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does obstruent come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin obstruēns, obstruentis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).