Onslow

name

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

"onslow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Onslow” is uncommon English (frequency #51,889 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,889
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A male given name from the Germanic languages.

Key facts for Onslow
PropertyValue
HeadwordOnslow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,889
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Onslow” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Onslow is uncommon English at frequency #51,889 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Onslow, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Ondeslow, Ondeslowe, Ondeslawe, Andeslawe, Hundeslawe, Hundreslawe, Andreslawe, from Old English *Andrǣd (a male given name) + hlāw, hlǣw (“hill”) (literally, "Ander's hill"). The correct English form is Onslow, spelled O-N-S-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from the Germanic languages.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. 3
    An English earldom.

Etymology

From Middle English Ondeslow, Ondeslowe, Ondeslawe, Andeslawe, Hundeslawe, Hundreslawe, Andreslawe, from Old English *Andrǣd (a male given name) + hlāw, hlǣw (“hill”) (literally, "Ander's hill").

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 "Onslow"?
"Onslow" is spelled O-N-S-L-O-W.
What does "Onslow" mean?
As a proper noun, "Onslow" means: A male given name from the Germanic languages.
What is the origin of the word "Onslow"?
From Middle English Ondeslow, Ondeslowe, Ondeslawe, Andeslawe, Hundeslawe, Hundreslawe, Andreslawe, from Old English *Andrǣd (a male given name) + hlāw, hlǣw (“hill”) (literally, "Ander's hill"). 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.

Using “Onslow”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is O-N-S-L-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list