roadblock

noun

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

"roadblock" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“roadblock” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,346. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,346
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something that blocks or obstructs a road.

Corpus desk

Index EN-roadblock · roadblock · English

roadblock · rank #28,346 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,346
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH RNC

Nearest frequency peer: RNC (-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 “roadblock”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “roadblock” 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 roadblock
PropertyValue
Headwordroadblock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,346
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “roadblock”

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).roadblocklands 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 “RNC” (#28,345), “roadshow” (#28,347), “RSVP” (#28,349). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “roadblock” is #28,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around roadblock, anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,346 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for roadblock, with forms such as "oradblock", "raodblock", and "roabdlock". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From road + block. The correct English form is roadblock, spelled R-O-A-D-B-L-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that blocks or obstructs a road.
  2. 2
    An obstacle or impediment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to hit roadblocks
  2. Transgender people face roadblocks in accessing healthcare, and it’s not going away even after archaic rules denying healthcare access to transgender people are lifted and more of us become insured.

Etymology

From road + block.

This word in other languages

retén(Español)Absperrung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oradblock
  • raodblock
  • roabdlock
  • roadbblock
  • roadblcok
  • roadbllock
  • roadblocck
  • roadblockk
  • roadblokc
  • roadbolck
  • roaddblock
  • roadlbock
  • rodablock
  • rroadblock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oradblock2raodblock2roabdlock2roadbblock1roadblcok2roadbllock1roadblocck1roadblockk1
Edit distance from "roadblock"

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 "roadblock"?
"roadblock" is spelled R-O-A-D-B-L-O-C-K.
What does "roadblock" mean?
As a noun, "roadblock" means: Something that blocks or obstructs a road.
What are common misspellings of "roadblock"?
Common misspellings include "oradblock", "raodblock", "roabdlock", "roadbblock", "roadblcok". The correct spelling is "roadblock".
What is the origin of the word "roadblock"?
From road + block. 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 "roadblock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

racetrack#28,337shoemaker#28,364shortfall#28,365outwardly#28,315

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Southport14 variantsMiddletown14 variantsTrafalgar14 variantsinfallible14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list