roadblock

noun

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

The verdict

“roadblock” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,346 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#28,346
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that blocks or obstructs a road.

Key facts for roadblock
PropertyValue
Headwordroadblock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,346
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “roadblock” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for roadblock is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #28,346 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 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.

Etymology

From road + block.

This word in other languages

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.

Using “roadblock”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-O-A-D-B-L-O-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list