onus
/ˈoʊnəs/noun
onus is spelled O-N-U-S: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, onus means “A legal obligation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of onus is onuses or onera.
How many letters and syllables are in onus?
| Letters | 4: O-N-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is onus?
Onus appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce onus?
- UK /ˈəʊnəs/
- US /ˈoʊnəs/
Onus has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-onus.wav, En-us-onus.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with onus?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as onus from its last stressed vowel (/oʊnəs/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: nous.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of onus
- onuses plural
- onera plural
- oweness
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does onus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A legal obligation.
The onus is on the landlord to make sure the walls are protected from mildew.
- 2
Burden of proof, onus probandi.
- 3
Stigma.
- 4
Blame.
He'll always bear the onus of having caused the accident.
- 5
Responsibility; burden.
The onus is on those who disagree with my proposal to explain why.
noun
- 1
plural of ONU
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Onus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | responsabilité , charge de la preuve |
| German | Pflicht , Beweislast, Onus |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does onus come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin onus (literally “burden”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).