odor

/ˈəʊdə/

//ˈəʊdə// noun

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

"odor" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“odor” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #15,234) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#15,234
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-odor · odor · English

odor · rank #15,234 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,234
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH nuns

Nearest frequency peer: nuns (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “odor”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “odor” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

odor vs or
50% similar
odor vs oo
50% similar
odor vs our
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for odor
PropertyValue
Headwordodor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈəʊdə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,234
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “odor”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nuns” (#15,233), “Oprah” (#15,235), “noteworthy” (#15,232). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “odor” is #15,234. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for odor is neighbouring look-alikes ("or", "oo", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈəʊdə/. Frequency #15,234 among 1,431 “O” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for odor, with forms such as "oddor", "odorr", and "odro". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "or", "oo", "our", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English odour, borrowed from Anglo-Norman odour, from Old French odor, from Latin odor. Cognates * Swedish odör (“bad smell”) The correct English form is odor, spelled O-D-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.
  2. 2
    A strong, pervasive quality.
  3. 3
    Esteem.
  4. 4
    Something which produces a scent; incense, a perfume.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Now, I still think that for this box of matches to have escaped the wear of time for immemorial years was a strange, and for me, a most fortunate thing. Yet oddly enough I found here a far more unlikely substance, and that was camphor. I found it in a sealed jar, that, by chance, I supposed had been really hermetically sealed. I fancied at first the stuff…
  2. In different parts of the coast different species of animals are accounted sacred, because they are supposed to be animated by the spirits of the dead. Hence monkeys near Fishtown, snakes at Whydah, and crocodiles near Dix Cove live in the odour of sanctity."

Etymology

From Middle English odour, borrowed from Anglo-Norman odour, from Old French odor, from Latin odor. Cognates * Swedish odör (“bad smell”)

This word in other languages

olor(Español)odeur(Français)Geruch(Deutsch)odor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oddor
  • odorr
  • odro
  • oodr

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of odor - 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.

oddor1odorr1odro2oodr2
Edit distance from "odor"

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 "odor"?
"odor" is spelled O-D-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊdə/.
What does "odor" mean?
As a noun, "odor" means: Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.
What words are commonly confused with "odor"?
"odor" is commonly confused with "or", "oo", "our". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "odor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "odor" is /ˈəʊdə/. 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 "odor"?
From Middle English odour, borrowed from Anglo-Norman odour, from Old French odor, from Latin odor. Cognates * Swedish odör (“bad smell”) 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 "odor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nuns#15,233musk#15,223loot#15,213loaf#15,210

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list