ominous

/ˈɒmɪnəs/

//ˈɒmɪnəs// adj

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

"ominous" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ominous” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,194. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,194
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ominous · ominous · English

ominous · rank #17,194 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #17,194
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH oats

Nearest frequency peer: oats (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ominous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ominous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

ominous vs odious
71% similar

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

Key facts for ominous
PropertyValue
Headwordominous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɒmɪnəs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#17,194
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ominous”

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).ominouslands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “oats” (#17,193), “openness” (#17,195), “nobles” (#17,192). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ominous” is #17,194. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around ominous (IPA /ˈɒmɪnəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #17,194 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ominous, with forms such as "moinous", "oimnous", and "ominnous". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "odious", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin ōminōsus (“full of foreboding”), from ōmen (“forbidden fruit, omen”), from Old Latin osmen, of uncertain origin, with many origins proposed (see ōmen). The correct English form is ominous, spelled O-M-I-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.
  2. 2
    Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In Cornouaille, Brittany, it is popularly believed that the weather of the last six days of December and the first six of January prognosticates the weather of the twelve months; but in other parts of Brittany it is the first twelve days of January that are supposed to be ominous of the weather for the year.
  2. California poll support for Jerry Brown's tax increases has ominous implications for U.S. taxpayers too Los Angeles Times Headline April 25, 2011

Etymology

From Latin ōminōsus (“full of foreboding”), from ōmen (“forbidden fruit, omen”), from Old Latin osmen, of uncertain origin, with many origins proposed (see ōmen).

Synonyms

augurousbalefulbodefulbodingdiredisastrousdivinefatalforebodingill-bodingill-fatedill-omenedill-starredinauspicateinauspiciousnefastousomenicominousbroodingportentouspresagefulpresagiousprodigioussinisterstar-crossedsullen

Antonyms

auspiciousomenlessunomened

This word in other languages

ominoso(Español)omineux(Français)bedrohlich(Deutsch)agourento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • moinous
  • oimnous
  • ominnous
  • ominosu
  • ominouss
  • ominuos
  • omionus
  • omminous
  • omnious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ominous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

moinous2oimnous2ominnous1ominosu2ominouss1ominuos2omionus2omminous1
Edit distance from "ominous"

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 "ominous"?
"ominous" is spelled O-M-I-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒmɪnəs/.
What does "ominous" mean?
As an adjective, "ominous" means: Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant.
What words are commonly confused with "ominous"?
"ominous" is commonly confused with "odious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ominous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ominous" is /ˈɒmɪnəs/. 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 "ominous"?
From Latin ōminōsus (“full of foreboding”), from ōmen (“forbidden fruit, omen”), from Old Latin osmen, of uncertain origin, with many origins proposed (see ōmen). 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 "ominous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pandora#17,200matchup#17,183mammoth#17,180plunged#17,209

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

nobles9 variantsMerkel9 variantskickoff9 variantsjoyful9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list