oxygen

/ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/

//ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“oxygen” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,695. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,695
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental oxygen to distinguish it from molecula...

Corpus desk

Index EN-oxygen · oxygen · English

oxygen · rank #4,695 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,695
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outer

Nearest frequency peer: outer (-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 “oxygen”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “oxygen” 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).

oxygen vs oxen
67% similar
oxygen vs Origen
50% similar

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

Key facts for oxygen
PropertyValue
Headwordoxygen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,695
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “oxygen”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “outer” (#4,694), “pipe” (#4,696), “newspapers” (#4,693). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oxygen” is #4,695. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around oxygen (IPA /ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,695 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for oxygen, with forms such as "oxgyen", "oxxygen", and "oxyegn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "oxen", "Origen", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-der.? Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús) Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) French oxygènebor. English oxygen Borrowed from Fren… The correct English form is oxygen, spelled O-X-Y-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental oxygen to distinguish it from molecular oxygen.
  2. 2
    Molecular oxygen (O₂), a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature.
  3. 3
    A mixture of oxygen and other gases, administered to a patient to help them breathe.
  4. 4
    An atom of this element.
  5. 5
    A condition or environment in which something can thrive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Holonyms: dioxygen, O₂, oxygen (loose sense)
  2. By molar fraction, calcium oxide contains equal parts calcium and oxygen.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-der.? Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús) Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) French oxygènebor. English oxygen Borrowed from French oxygène (originally in the form principe oxygène, a variant of principe oxigine ‘acidifying principle’, suggested by Lavoisier), from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp”) + γένος (génos, “birth”), referring to oxygen's supposed role in the formation of acids. By surface analysis, oxy- + -gen.

This word in other languages

oxígeno(Español)oxygène(Français)Sauerstoff(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oxgyen
  • oxxygen
  • oxyegn
  • oxygenn
  • oxyggen
  • oxygne
  • oxyygen
  • oyxgen
  • xoygen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of oxygen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

oxgyen2oxxygen1oxyegn2oxygenn1oxyggen1oxygne2oxyygen1oyxgen2
Edit distance from "oxygen"

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 "oxygen"?
"oxygen" is spelled O-X-Y-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/.
What does "oxygen" mean?
As a noun, "oxygen" means: The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental oxygen to distinguish it from molecula...
What words are commonly confused with "oxygen"?
"oxygen" is commonly confused with "oxen", "Origen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "oxygen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oxygen" is /ˈɒksɪd͡ʒən/. 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 "oxygen"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-der.? Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús) Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁os Proto-Hellenic *génos Ancient Greek γένος (génos) French oxygènebor. English oxygen Borrowed... 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 "oxygen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pissed#4,697powder#4,699lonely#4,688quotes#4,702

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

racism9 variantsjumped9 variantshosted9 variantsspider9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list