Oshawa

/ˈɒʃəwə/

//ˈɒʃəwə// name

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

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

The verdict

“Oshawa” is uncommon English (frequency #58,255 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,255
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A city in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.

Key facts for Oshawa
PropertyValue
HeadwordOshawa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɒʃəwə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#58,255
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Oshawa” 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). Oshawa 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

Oshawa is uncommon English at frequency #58,255 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈɒʃəwə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for Oshawa in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ojibwe aazhaway. The correct English form is Oshawa, spelled O-S-H-A-W-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A city in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.
  2. 2
    An unincorporated community in Bull Moose Township and Deerfield Township, Cass County, Minnesota, United States.
  3. 3
    A township and unincorporated community therein, in Nicollet County, Minnesota, named after Oshawa, Ontario.

Etymology

From Ojibwe aazhaway.

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 "Oshawa"?
"Oshawa" is spelled O-S-H-A-W-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒʃəwə/.
What does "Oshawa" mean?
As a proper noun, "Oshawa" means: A city in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.
How do you pronounce "Oshawa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Oshawa" is /ˈɒʃəwə/. 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 "Oshawa"?
From Ojibwe aazhaway. 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 “Oshawa”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-S-H-A-W-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɒʃəwə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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