oxalic

/ɒkˈsælɪk/

//ɒkˈsælɪk// adj

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

The verdict

“oxalic” is uncommon English (frequency #89,721 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,721
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to oxalic acid or its derivatives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oxalic · oxalic · English

oxalic · rank #89,721 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,721
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Paik

Nearest frequency peer: Paik (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “oxalic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “oxalic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for oxalic
PropertyValue
Headwordoxalic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɒkˈsælɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#89,721
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “oxalic” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).oxalicfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Paik” (#89,723), “outsize” (#89,717), “outfall” (#89,716). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oxalic” is #89,721. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

oxalic is uncommon English at frequency #89,721 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɒkˈsælɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for oxalic in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French oxalique, from Oxalis (“the sorrel plant”). The correct English form is oxalic, spelled O-X-A-L-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to oxalic acid or its derivatives.
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to oxaluria.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. If not sufficiently purified, a little hydrochloric or oxalic acid, or caustic potash may be put in the water, according as the stains are from grease or from ink.

Etymology

Borrowed from French oxalique, from Oxalis (“the sorrel plant”).

This word in other languages

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 "oxalic"?
"oxalic" is spelled O-X-A-L-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒkˈsælɪk/.
What does "oxalic" mean?
As an adjective, "oxalic" means: Of or pertaining to oxalic acid or its derivatives.
How do you pronounce "oxalic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oxalic" is /ɒkˈsælɪk/. 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 "oxalic"?
Borrowed from French oxalique, from Oxalis (“the sorrel plant”). 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 "oxalic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list