odometer

/əʊˈdɒmətə/

//əʊˈdɒmətə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"odometer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“odometer” is uncommon English (frequency #56,333 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,333
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An instrument, usually embedded within the speedometer of a vehicle, that measures the distance the vehicle has traveled since production.

Corpus desk

Index EN-odometer · odometer · English

odometer · rank #56,333 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,333
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH offloading

Nearest frequency peer: offloading (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “odometer”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “odometer” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for odometer
PropertyValue
Headwordodometer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əʊˈdɒmətə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#56,333
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “odometer” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).odometerfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “offloading” (#56,334), “ocarina” (#56,331), “Ohl” (#56,335). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “odometer” is #56,333. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

odometer is uncommon English at frequency #56,333 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əʊˈdɒmətə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for odometer in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French odomètre, from Ancient Greek ὁδός (hodós, “road, path, way”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), equivalent to odo- + -meter. The correct English form is odometer, spelled O-D-O-M-E-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An instrument, usually embedded within the speedometer of a vehicle, that measures the distance the vehicle has traveled since production.
  2. 2
    A wheel used by surveyors, which registers distance traveled.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When the car was delivered about eight weeks later, it was not the model that had been displayed on the show and it had more miles on the odometer than the car she had been promised.
  2. On Sunday, the robot rover advanced another 157 feet (48 meters) as it continued along the rim of a Martian crater, putting Opportunity's total odometer at 25.01 miles (40.25 km), according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, California.

Etymology

From French odomètre, from Ancient Greek ὁδός (hodós, “road, path, way”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), equivalent to odo- + -meter.

Synonyms

odograph

This word in other languages

odómetro(Español)odomètre(Français)Kilometerzähler(Deutsch)

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 "odometer"?
"odometer" is spelled O-D-O-M-E-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /əʊˈdɒmətə/.
What does "odometer" mean?
As a noun, "odometer" means: An instrument, usually embedded within the speedometer of a vehicle, that measures the distance the vehicle has traveled since production.
How do you pronounce "odometer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "odometer" is /əʊˈdɒmətə/. 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 "odometer"?
From French odomètre, from Ancient Greek ὁδός (hodós, “road, path, way”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), equivalent to odo- + -meter. 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 "odometer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mycelium#56,307mutilate#56,305Portillo#56,377milkweed#56,285

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list