odoriferous

/ˌəʊdəˈɹɪfəɹəs/

//ˌəʊdəˈɹɪfəɹəs// adj

"odoriferous" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“odoriferous” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having an odor or fragrance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-odoriferous · odoriferous · English

odoriferous · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for odoriferous
PropertyValue
Headwordodoriferous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌəʊdəˈɹɪfəɹəs/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “odoriferous” in English

odoriferousranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

odoriferous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌəʊdəˈɹɪfəɹəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having an odor or fragrance.".

No misspelling variants are generated for odoriferous in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin. By surface analysis, odor + -i- (“bearing, carrying”) + -ferous. The correct English form is odoriferous, spelled O-D-O-R-I-F-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having an odor or fragrance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lewis the eleventh had a conceit everything did stinke about him, all the odoriferous perfumes they could get, would not ease him, but still hee^([sic]) smelled a filthy stinke.
  2. True, the rich spices, the perfumed woods, the fragrant oils, which would feed the sacred fire of my funeral pyre, would save my mortal remains from that corruption which makes the disgust of death even worse than its dread. A few odoriferous ashes alone would be left for my urn.

Etymology

From Latin. By surface analysis, odor + -i- (“bearing, carrying”) + -ferous.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "odoriferous"?
"odoriferous" is spelled O-D-O-R-I-F-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌəʊdəˈɹɪfəɹəs/.
What does "odoriferous" mean?
As an adjective, "odoriferous" means: Having an odor or fragrance.
How do you pronounce "odoriferous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "odoriferous" is /ˌəʊdəˈɹɪfəɹəs/. 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 "odoriferous"?
From Latin. By surface analysis, odor + -i- (“bearing, carrying”) + -ferous. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list