oxymoron
/ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/
"oxymoron" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“oxymoron” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,827 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #40,827
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | oxymoron |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #40,827 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “oxymoron” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for oxymoron is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,827 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
- 2A contradiction in terms.
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
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "oxymoron" mean?
What are common misspellings of "oxymoron"?
How do you pronounce "oxymoron"?
What is the origin of the word "oxymoron"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “oxymoron”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-X-Y-M-O-R-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/ (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
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.