oxymoron

/ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/

//ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn// noun

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

"oxymoron" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“oxymoron” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,827. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,827
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oxymoron · oxymoron · English

oxymoron · rank #40,827 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,827
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outlive

Nearest frequency peer: outlive (-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 “oxymoron”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “oxymoron” 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
Key facts for oxymoron
PropertyValue
Headwordoxymoron
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#40,827
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “oxymoron”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “outlive” (#40,826), “palmetto” (#40,828), “outdo” (#40,825). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oxymoron” is #40,827. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around oxymoron (IPA /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,827 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for oxymoron, with forms such as "oxmyoron", "oxxymoron", and "oxymmoron". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 17th century, noun use of 5th century Latin oxymōrum (adjective), neut. nom. form of oxymōrus (adjective), from Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρος (oxúmōros), compound of ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, keen, pointed”) (English oxy-, as in oxygen) + μωρός (mō… The correct English form is oxymoron, spelled O-X-Y-M-O-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
  2. 2
    A contradiction in terms.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In Oxymoron jarring phrases join And terms opposed in harmony combine.
  2. For Theodor Adorno and his colleagues at the Frankfurt School who coined the term, "culture industry" was an oxymoron, intended to set up a critical contrast between the exploitative, repetitive mode of industrial mass production under capitalism and the associations of transformative power and aesthetico-moral transcendence that the concept of culture ca…

Etymology

First attested in the 17th century, noun use of 5th century Latin oxymōrum (adjective), neut. nom. form of oxymōrus (adjective), from Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρος (oxúmōros), compound of ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, keen, pointed”) (English oxy-, as in oxygen) + μωρός (mōrós, “dull, stupid, foolish”) (English moron (“stupid person”)). Literally "sharp-dull", "keen-stupid", or "pointed-foolish" – itself an oxymoron, hence autological; compare sophomore (literally “wise fool”), influenced by similar analysis. The compound form ὀξύμωρον (oxúmōron) is not found in the extant Ancient Greek sources.

Antonyms

pleonasmredundancy

This word in other languages

oxímoron(Español)oxymore(Français)Oxymoron(Deutsch)oxímoro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oxmyoron
  • oxxymoron
  • oxymmoron
  • oxymoorn
  • oxymorno
  • oxymoronn
  • oxymorron
  • oxymroon
  • oxyomron
  • oxyymoron
  • oyxmoron
  • xoymoron

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of oxymoron - 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.

oxmyoron2oxxymoron1oxymmoron1oxymoorn2oxymorno2oxymoronn1oxymorron1oxymroon2
Edit distance from "oxymoron"

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 "oxymoron"?
"oxymoron" is spelled O-X-Y-M-O-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/.
What does "oxymoron" mean?
As a noun, "oxymoron" means: A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
What are common misspellings of "oxymoron"?
Common misspellings include "oxmyoron", "oxxymoron", "oxymmoron", "oxymoorn", "oxymorno". The correct spelling is "oxymoron".
How do you pronounce "oxymoron"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oxymoron" is /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/. 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 "oxymoron"?
First attested in the 17th century, noun use of 5th century Latin oxymōrum (adjective), neut. nom. form of oxymōrus (adjective), from Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρος (oxúmōros), compound of ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, keen, pointed”) (English oxy-, as in oxygen) +... 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 "oxymoron", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

palmetto#40,828notifies#40,816pretrial#40,846munchies#40,804

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

optically12 variantsquarrying12 variantsleaching12 variantsschooler12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list