orbit

/ˈɔː.bɪt/

//ˈɔː.bɪt// noun

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

"orbit" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“orbit” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,816. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,816
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The curved path of one object around a point or another body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-orbit · orbit · English

orbit · rank #6,816 · 7 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,816
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nicholas

Nearest frequency peer: Nicholas (-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 “orbit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “orbit” 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).

orbit vs Ori
40% similar
orbit vs Ortiz
40% similar
orbit vs Orrin
40% similar

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

Key facts for orbit
PropertyValue
Headwordorbit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɔː.bɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,816
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “orbit”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Nicholas” (#6,815), “paragraph” (#6,817), “navigation” (#6,814). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “orbit” is #6,816. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around orbit (IPA /ˈɔː.bɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,816 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for orbit, with forms such as "obrit", "orbbit", and "orbitt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "Ori", "Ortiz", "Orrin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English orbite, orbita, from Latin orbita (“course, track, impression, mark”). The correct English form is orbit, spelled O-R-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The curved path of one object around a point or another body.
  2. 2
    The curved path of one object around a point or another body.
  3. 3
    The curved path of one object around a point or another body.
  4. 4
    The curved path of one object around a point or another body.
  5. 5
    The curved path of one object around a point or another body.
  6. 6
    A sphere of influence; an area or extent of activity, interest, or control.
  7. 7
    The bony cavity in the skull of a vertebrate containing the eyeball.
  8. 8
    The bony cavity in the skull of a vertebrate containing the eyeball.
  9. 9
    A collection of points related by the evolution function of a dynamical system.
  10. 10
    The subset of elements of a set X to which a given element can be moved by members of a specified group of transformations that act on X.
  11. 11
    The number of hands such that each player at the table has posted the big blind once.
  12. 12
    A state of increased excitement, activity, or anger.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Moon's orbit around the Earth takes nearly one month to complete.
  2. In the post WWII era, several eastern European countries came into the orbit of the Soviet Union.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English orbite, orbita, from Latin orbita (“course, track, impression, mark”).

This word in other languages

órbita(Español)orbite(Français)Umlaufbahn(Deutsch)órbita(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • obrit
  • orbbit
  • orbitt
  • orbti
  • oribt
  • orrbit
  • robit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

obrit2orbbit1orbitt1orbti2oribt2orrbit1robit2
Edit distance from "orbit"

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 "orbit"?
"orbit" is spelled O-R-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔː.bɪt/.
What does "orbit" mean?
As a noun, "orbit" means: The curved path of one object around a point or another body.
What words are commonly confused with "orbit"?
"orbit" is commonly confused with "Ori", "Ortiz", "Orrin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "orbit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "orbit" is /ˈɔː.bɪt/. 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 "orbit"?
Inherited from Middle English orbite, orbita, from Latin orbita (“course, track, impression, mark”). 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 "orbit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lobby#6,806ranch#6,826Lloyd#6,805Kenny#6,801

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

ladder7 variantselect7 variantsdiffer7 variantsbuyer7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list