Which to use
“obs” is a verb and “ox” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,851
- “obs” frequency rank
- #40,903
- “ox” frequency rank
- 54754
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obs | ox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de obsen. | Bœuf. |
Where the eye mixes obs and ox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: obs vs ox
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: obs is \ɔps\ while ox is \ɒks\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obs is recorded at frequency rank #13,851, classified as averb, pronounced \ɔps\. ox is at rank #40,903, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɒks\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 54754, this pair ranks #131,912 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of obs vs ox
Shared letters: o. Private to "obs": bs. Private to "ox": x.
"obs" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ox" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "obs" for "ox" ever safe?
Frequency check: "obs" vs "ox" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "obs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #131,912 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obs" and "ox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "och vs ox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #131,912 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.