obviate
/ˈɒb.viˌeɪt/
"obviate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“obviate” is an uncommon English word, ranked #83,572 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #83,572
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To anticipate and prevent or bypass (something which would otherwise have been necessary or required); to render (something) unnecessary.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | obviate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɒb.viˌeɪt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #83,572 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “obviate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for obviate is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒb.viˌeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #83,572 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 edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for obviate, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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: First attested in 1567; borrowed from Latin obviātus, perfect passive participle of obviō (“to block, to hinder”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is obviate, spelled O-B-V-I-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To anticipate and prevent or bypass (something which would otherwise have been necessary or required); to render (something) unnecessary.
- 2To avoid (a future problem or difficult situation).
Etymology
First attested in 1567; borrowed from Latin obviātus, perfect passive participle of obviō (“to block, to hinder”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Antonyms
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); 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 “obviate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-B-V-I-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɒb.viˌeɪt/ (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.