oligopoly

/ɒlɪˈɡɒpəli/

//ɒlɪˈɡɒpəli// noun

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

"oligopoly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“oligopoly” is uncommon English (frequency #66,894 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,894
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An economic condition in which a small number of sellers exert control over the market of a commodity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oligopoly · oligopoly · English

oligopoly · rank #66,894 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,894
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH oink

Nearest frequency peer: oink (-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 “oligopoly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for oligopoly
PropertyValue
Headwordoligopoly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɒlɪˈɡɒpəli/
Letters9
Frequency rank#66,894
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “oligopoly” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).oligopolyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “oink” (#66,893), “ogling” (#66,892), “obtrusive” (#66,890). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oligopoly” is #66,894. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

oligopoly is uncommon English at frequency #66,894 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɒlɪˈɡɒpəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An economic condition in which a small number of sellers exert control over the market of a commodity.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for oligopoly, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₃ligos From oligo- (prefix meaning ‘few; several’) + -poly (suffix meaning ‘pertaining to the number of sellers in a market’), by analogy with monopoly. The correct English form is oligopoly, spelled O-L-I-G-O-P-O-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An economic condition in which a small number of sellers exert control over the market of a commodity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Because of the ease of collusion, particularly price fixing, duopolies and oligopolies easily produce outcomes as bad for the general public as outright monopolies.
  2. For the sheep are falling into few and powerful hands; and these, if they have not a monopoly, have at least an oligopoly, and can keep up the price.

Etymology

PIE word *h₃ligos From oligo- (prefix meaning ‘few; several’) + -poly (suffix meaning ‘pertaining to the number of sellers in a market’), by analogy with monopoly.

This word in other languages

oligopolio(Español)oligopole(Français)Oligopol(Deutsch)oligopólio(Português)

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 "oligopoly"?
"oligopoly" is spelled O-L-I-G-O-P-O-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒlɪˈɡɒpəli/.
What does "oligopoly" mean?
As a noun, "oligopoly" means: An economic condition in which a small number of sellers exert control over the market of a commodity.
How do you pronounce "oligopoly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oligopoly" is /ɒlɪˈɡɒpəli/. 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 "oligopoly"?
PIE word *h₃ligos From oligo- (prefix meaning ‘few; several’) + -poly (suffix meaning ‘pertaining to the number of sellers in a market’), by analogy with monopoly. 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 "oligopoly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

obtrusive#66,890peaceably#66,919neuralgia#66,868perishing#66,920

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list