sober

/ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/

//ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)// adj

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

"sober" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sober” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,850 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#7,850
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not drunk; not intoxicated.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sober vs soe
60% similar
sober vs sor
60% similar
sober vs some
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for sober
PropertyValue
Headwordsober
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,850
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sober” 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). sober 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 sober is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,850 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sober, with forms such as "osber", "sboer", and "sobber". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "soe", "sor", "some", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced native undrunken, from Old English undruncen. The correct English form is sober, spelled S-O-B-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not drunk; not intoxicated.
  2. 2
    Not under the influence of any recreational drug.
  3. 3
    Not given to excessive drinking of alcohol.
  4. 4
    Moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled.
  5. 5
    Dull; not bright or colorful.
  6. 6
    Subdued; solemn; grave.
  7. 7
    Poor; feeble.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced native undrunken, from Old English undruncen.

Synonyms

clearheadeddryon the wagonsobersober as a judgestone-cold soberundrunkenunintoxicated

Antonyms

drunkstoned

This word in other languages

sobrio(Español)sobre(Français)nüchtern(Deutsch)sóbrio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: osber,sboer,sobber,soberr,sobre,soebr,ssober

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osber2sboer2sobber1soberr1sobre2soebr2ssober1
Edit distance from "sober"

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 "sober"?
"sober" is spelled S-O-B-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/.
What does "sober" mean?
As an adjective, "sober" means: Not drunk; not intoxicated.
What words are commonly confused with "sober"?
"sober" is commonly confused with "soe", "sor", "some". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sober"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sober" is /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/. 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 "sober"?
Inherited from Middle English sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced native undrunken, from Old English undr... 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 “sober”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-B-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “soe” - see the side-by-side comparison. sober vs soe
  • 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