# ozone

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈəʊzəʊn/ · frequency rank #16,764

## Definitions
1. An allotrope of oxygen (symbol O₃) having three atoms in the molecule instead of the usual two; it is a toxic gas, generated from oxygen by electrical discharge.
2. Fresh air, especially that breathed at the seaside and smelling of seaweed.

## Etymology
From German Ozon, coined 1840 by Christian Friedrich Schönbein, from Ancient Greek ὄζον (ózon), neuter participle of ὄζω (ózō, “I smell”), in reference to its pungent odour.
The “fresh air” sense is from an erroneous former belief that seaweed contains and releases ozone.

## Easily confused with
- **Ozzie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ozone-vs-ozzie)
- **one** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/one-vs-ozone)
- **ooze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ooze-vs-ozone)
- **oboe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oboe-vs-ozone)
- **Oxon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oxon-vs-ozone)

## Common misspellings (6)
`oozne`, `oznoe`, `ozoen`, `ozonne`, `ozzone`, `zoone`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ozone