# oily

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɔɪli/ · frequency rank #18,380

## Definitions
1. Covered with or containing oil.
2. Resembling oil.
3. Excessively friendly or polite but insincere.

## Etymology
From Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil + -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”).

## Easily confused with
- **oy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-oy)
- **old** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-old)
- **owl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-owl)
- **ole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-ole)
- **Ola** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-ola)
- **only** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-only)
- **okay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-okay)
- **Oslo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-oslo)
- **owls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-owls)
- **orgy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-orgy)
- **Ozzy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-ozzy)
- **okey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-okey)
- **ould** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-ould)
- **Oxley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oily-vs-oxley)
- **oi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oi-vs-oily)
- **oil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oil-vs-oily)
- **obey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/obey-vs-oily)
- **OCLC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oclc-vs-oily)
- **ogle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ogle-vs-oily)
- **oddly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oddly-vs-oily)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ioly`, `oilly`, `oilyy`, `oiyl`, `oliy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/oily