oddball
/ˈɑːdˌbɔl/
"oddball" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“oddball” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #39,000 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #39,000
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An eccentric or unusual person.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | oddball |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɑːdˌbɔl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #39,000 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “oddball” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for oddball is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɑːdˌbɔl/. Corpus data places it at rank #39,000 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 generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for oddball, with forms such as "dodball", "odball", and "odbdall". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Compound of odd + ball. First used in late 1930s, describing an extra ball played as a bonus in pin-ball type games. Well-attested since the 1940s, with the adjective appearing earlier than the noun. The correct English form is oddball, spelled O-D-D-B-A-L-L.
Definition
- 1An eccentric or unusual person.
- 2A deviant stimulus that appears among repetitive stimuli during an experiment, to trigger an event-related potential in the participant.
Etymology
Compound of odd + ball. First used in late 1930s, describing an extra ball played as a bonus in pin-ball type games. Well-attested since the 1940s, with the adjective appearing earlier than the noun.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: dodball,odball,odbdall,oddabll,oddbal,oddbball,oddblal
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of oddball - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "oddball"?
What does "oddball" mean?
What are common misspellings of "oddball"?
How do you pronounce "oddball"?
What is the origin of the word "oddball"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “oddball”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-D-D-B-A-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɑːdˌbɔl/ (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.