orb

/ɔɹb/

//ɔɹb// noun

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

"orb" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“orb” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #20,723) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#20,723
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spherical body; a sphere, especially one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star

Corpus desk

Index EN-orb · orb · English

orb · rank #20,723 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,723
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Olympia

Nearest frequency peer: Olympia (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “orb”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “orb” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

orb vs OS
0% similar
orb vs oz
33% similar
orb vs OT
0% similar

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

Key facts for orb
PropertyValue
Headwordorb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɔɹb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#20,723
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “orb” 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). orb lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for orb is neighbouring look-alikes ("OS", "oz", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ɔɹb/. Frequency #20,723 among 1,431 “O” headwords. 12 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for orb in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "OS", "oz", "OT", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English orbe, from Old French orbe, from Latin orbis (“circle, orb”). Compare orbit. The correct English form is orb, spelled O-R-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spherical body; a sphere, especially one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star
  2. 2
    Celestial sphere; one of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be enclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions
  3. 3
    A structural motif or finial in the shape of a sphere
  4. 4
    An orbit of an heavenly body
  5. 5
    The time period of an orbit
  6. 6
    The eye, seen as a luminous and spherical entity
  7. 7
    Any revolving circular body, such as a wheel
  8. 8
    A sphere of action.
  9. 9
    A globus cruciger; a ceremonial sphere used to represent royal or imperial power
  10. 10
    A translucent sphere appearing in flash photography (Orb (optics))
  11. 11
    A body of soldiers drawn up in a circle, as for defence, especially infantry to repel cavalry.
  12. 12
    Amount of deviation from the closest perfect aspect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the small orb of one particular tear.
  2. Whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither rolled.

Etymology

From Middle English orbe, from Old French orbe, from Latin orbis (“circle, orb”). Compare orbit.

Synonyms

ballglobespherecircleorbityeareyerollerwheelareadomainfieldprovinceglobeglobus crucigermoundglobe

This word in other languages

orbe(Español)orbe(Français)Kugel(Deutsch)orbe(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "orb"?
"orb" is spelled O-R-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔɹb/.
What does "orb" mean?
As a noun, "orb" means: A spherical body; a sphere, especially one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star
What words are commonly confused with "orb"?
"orb" is commonly confused with "OS", "oz", "OT". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "orb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "orb" is /ɔɹb/. 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 "orb"?
From Middle English orbe, from Old French orbe, from Latin orbis (“circle, orb”). Compare orbit. 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 "orb", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nav#20,716PLA#20,735moi#20,710ips#20,676

What to do next

You've looked up "orb". Here's where to go from here.

  • "orb" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "OS". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #20,723 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "O" letter cohort. O–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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