Commonly used words in written English - letter O with 230 words, sorted by frequency
The list of words starting with the letter O that occur frequently in written English is based on an analysis of the Google Books Ngram (a collection compiled by Peter Norvig in 2012, containing close to one trillion words).
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Word Frequency is calculated as the number of occurrences in one million words.
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Word Definition is sourced from the WordNet dictionary. You'll have to look up each word page for its complete definition and Part of Speech (POS) categories.
| Word | Frequency | Definition |
|---|---|---|
41,629 | (preposition) used to indicate distance or direction from something, separation from something, or the condition of having been deprived of something | |
6,176 | (preposition) the general signification of 'on' is situation, motion, or condition with respect to contact or support beneath; (adverb) indicates continuity or persistence or concentration | |
4,930 | (conjunction) a particle that marks an alternative | |
2,981 | (pronoun) referring to a person or thing previously mentioned or easily identified; (adjective) used of a single unit or thing; not two or more | |
2,236 | (pronoun) a person or thing that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known about; (adjective) not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied | |
1,526 | (adverb) with nevertheless the final result | |
1,411 | (adverb) away from home; (verb) reveal (something) about somebody's identity or lifestyle | |
1,176 | (pronoun) a form of the possessive case of we used as an attributive adjective | |
962 | (preposition) above, or higher than, in place or position, with the idea of covering; opposed to under; (adverb) at or to a point across intervening space etc. | |
716 | (verb) have ownership or possession of | |
559 | (verb) give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority; (noun) (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed | |
538 | (adjective) (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; (noun) past times (especially in the phrase 'in days of old') | |
437 | (adverb) in many cases or instances | |
409 | (preposition) not on; away from; (adverb) at a distance in space or time | |
359 | (adverb) on one occasion | |
281 | (verb) come to one's mind; suggest itself | |
266 | (verb) express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent; (noun) a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow | |
264 | (verb) cause to open or to become open; (adjective) affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed | |
261 | (noun) place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed | |
251 | (verb) come into possession of | |
234 | (noun) a group of people who work together | |
230 | (verb) make available or accessible, provide or furnish; (noun) the verbal act of offering | |
180 | (verb) direct or command as an officer; (noun) a person authorized to serve in a position of authority on a vessel | |
173 | (noun) a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty | |
171 | (noun) the 15th letter of the Roman alphabet | |
158 | (adverb) outside a building; (adjective) relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit | |
156 | (adjective) being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of; (noun) something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies | |
148 | (noun) a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances | |
139 | (adjective) having official authority or sanction; (noun) a worker who holds or is invested with an office | |
137 | (verb) cover with oil, as if by rubbing; (noun) a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water | |
129 | (adjective) discovered or determined by scientific observation | |
127 | (noun) the state of being in effect or being operative | |
113 | (noun) the act of making and recording a measurement | |
103 | (adjective) undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena; (noun) the lens or system of lenses in a telescope or microscope that is nearest the object being viewed | |
102 | (noun) the month following September and preceding November | |
102 | (noun) properties attributable to your ancestry | |
98 | (adverb) in other respects or ways; (adjective) other than as supposed or expected | |
92 | (noun) financial transactions at a brokerage; having to do with the execution of trades and keeping customer records | |
92 | (verb) to create or manufacture a specific amount; (noun) production of a certain amount | |
86 | (exclamation) used to express a range of emotions including surprise, anger, disappointment, or joy, or when reacting to something that has just been said | |
86 | (adjective) made open or clear | |
86 | (noun) (law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business | |
82 | (adjective) not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree; (noun) a judge of a probate court | |
79 | (adjective) skilled through long experience | |
78 | (verb) give occasion to; (noun) reason | |
78 | (adjective) first or beginning; (noun) an open or empty space in or between things | |
77 | (auxiliary verb) used to express duty or moral obligation | |
76 | (verb) direct or control; projects, businesses, etc. | |
76 | (adjective) of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem | |
73 | (noun) the right to buy or sell property at an agreed price; the right is purchased and if it is not exercised by a stated date the money is forfeited | |
68 | (adjective) easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind | |
67 | (noun) the relation between opposed entities | |
66 | (noun) a low shoe laced over the instep | |
62 | (adjective) involved in a kind of operation | |
62 | (adjective) having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule | |
62 | (pronoun) a reflexive form of we, used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or the direct object of a preposition | |
61 | (adjective) formed into a structured or coherent whole, particularly on a large scale | |
57 | (noun) something that results | |
56 | (noun) the state of being obligated to do or pay something | |
55 | (adjective) involving only main features; (noun) (usually plural) work clothing consisting of denim trousers (usually with a bib and shoulder straps) | |
53 | (adverb) unmistakably ('plain' is often used informally for 'plainly') | |
52 | (noun) the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money | |
51 | (verb) watch attentively | |
50 | (adjective) held or filled or in use | |
49 | (noun) a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere | |
49 | (adjective) being in opposition or having an opponent | |
48 | (adverb) sporadically and infrequently | |
46 | (adverb) in an original manner | |
45 | (adjective) relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis; (noun) a fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter | |
45 | (noun) a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust | |
44 | (preposition) to a placxe or position on, in or into a state of awareness about | |
44 | (noun) a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently | |
42 | (noun) money contributed to a religious organization | |
42 | (verb) get on top of; deal with successfully | |
41 | (noun) (mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation | |
40 | (adjective) having an owner; often used in combination | |
39 | (noun) a group of people who work together | |
38 | (adjective) of or relating to or affecting or for use in the mouth; (noun) an examination conducted by spoken communication | |
38 | (adjective) located outside | |
38 | (noun) the line that appears to bound an object | |
37 | (noun) the speech act of objecting | |
35 | (noun) an expert who observes and comments on something | |
35 | (verb) live (in a certain place) | |
35 | (noun) a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region | |
35 | (noun) the act of orienting | |
34 | (noun) an instance of something occurring | |
33 | (verb) cause to be structured or ordered or operating according to some principle or idea | |
33 | (noun) the relation of an owner to the thing possessed; possession with the right to transfer possession to others | |
32 | (noun) something you have to do | |
32 | (adjective) of or relating to an organization | |
32 | (verb) be obliged to pay or repay | |
31 | (adjective) under a moral obligation to do something | |
31 | (adjective) of the color between red and yellow; similar to the color of a ripe orange; (noun) round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees | |
31 | (noun) edible viscera of a butchered animal | |
31 | (adjective) owed as a debt | |
30 | (noun) a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function | |
29 | (adjective) adjusted or located in relation to surroundings or circumstances; sometimes used in combination | |
27 | (noun) a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes | |
27 | (adjective) characterized by active hostility | |
27 | (verb) come into existence; take on form or shape | |
26 | (verb) be obedient to | |
26 | (verb) leave undone or leave out | |
25 | (adjective) occurring on a temporary or irregular basis | |
25 | (noun) the action of attacking an enemy | |
24 | (noun) something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted | |
23 | (verb) make less visible or unclear; (adjective) not clearly expressed or understood | |
23 | (adjective) not divisible by two | |
23 | (adjective) being in force or having or exerting force | |
23 | (adjective) of or relating to or involving light or optics | |
23 | (noun) a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined | |
23 | (adjective) distinguished from others in excellence | |
22 | (noun) the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring | |
22 | (noun) any compound of oxygen with another element or a radical | |
21 | (noun) a commitment to tell the truth (especially in a court of law); to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury | |
21 | (noun) a statute enacted by a city government | |
20 | (adjective) on a regular route of a railroad or bus or airline system | |
19 | (adjective) of or relating to the activity or business for which you are trained | |
19 | (adverb) in a satisfactory or adequate manner | |
19 | (adjective) most desirable possible under a restriction expressed or implied | |
18 | (noun) the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person | |
18 | (adjective) for the purpose of attack rather than defense | |
18 | (verb) be an ornament to | |
18 | (adverb) toward the outside; (adjective) relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind | |
17 | (noun) the beginning or early stages | |
17 | (adjective) pertaining to a process or series of actions for achieving a result | |
17 | (noun) the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another | |
17 | (adjective) adhering to what is commonly accepted | |
17 | (pronoun) a form of the possessive case of we used as a predicate adjective | |
16 | (adjective) quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception | |
16 | (noun) a person who transgresses moral or civil law | |
16 | (adverb) in an open way | |
16 | (verb) be against; express opposition to | |
16 | (noun) a city on the Loire river in north central France; site of the siege of Orleans by the English (1428-1429) | |
16 | (adjective) showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary | |
16 | (noun) the act of looking out | |
16 | (adverb) in a place across an ocean | |
16 | (noun) a general summary of a subject | |
15 | (noun) a transgression that constitutes a violation of what is judged to be right | |
15 | (verb) compensate for or counterbalance; (noun) a plate makes an inked impression on a rubber-blanketed cylinder, which in turn transfers it to the paper | |
15 | (adjective) of a yellow-green color similar to that of an unripe olive; (noun) small ovoid fruit of the European olive tree; important food and source of oil | |
15 | (noun) activity that frees or expresses creative energy or emotion | |
15 | (adverb) above your head; in the sky; (adjective) located or originating from above | |
14 | (noun) any structure that makes progress difficult | |
14 | (noun) United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938) | |
14 | (adjective) characterized by active hostility | |
14 | (noun) the act of subjugating by cruelty | |
14 | (noun) a musical organization consisting of a group of instrumentalists including string players | |
14 | (noun) a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific | |
14 | (adjective) denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East | |
14 | (noun) a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a troy pound | |
14 | (adjective) very strong; urgently felt | |
14 | (noun) the process of oxidizing; the addition of oxygen to a compound with a loss of electrons; always occurs accompanied by reduction | |
13 | (adverb) an expression of agreement normally occurring at the beginning of a sentence; (adjective) being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition | |
13 | (adjective) currently happening | |
13 | (noun) a prosperous and industrialized province in central Canada | |
13 | (noun) logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements | |
13 | (adverb) under normal conditions | |
13 | (verb) cause the downfall of; of rulers; (noun) the termination of a ruler or institution (especially by force) | |
12 | (adverb) in an official role | |
12 | (noun) the immediate descendants of a person | |
12 | (adjective) most desirable possible under a restriction expressed or implied; (noun) most favorable conditions or greatest degree or amount possible under given circumstances | |
12 | (noun) a mouth or mouthlike opening | |
12 | (noun) a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition) | |
12 | (noun) kitchen appliance used for baking or roasting | |
12 | (verb) coincide partially or wholly; (noun) a representation of common ground between theories or phenomena | |
11 | (noun) the bulb of an onion plant | |
10 | (noun) the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring | |
10 | (noun) a mistake resulting from neglect | |
10 | (adjective) devoid of violence or disruption; (noun) a soldier who serves as an attendant to a superior officer | |
10 | (adjective) being a member of or formed into a labor union | |
10 | (noun) the time at which something is supposed to begin | |
10 | (noun) a contestant (human or animal) not considered to have a good chance to win | |
10 | (adjective) not taken into account | |
10 | (verb) overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli | |
10 | (noun) Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858) | |
9 | (noun) the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form | |
9 | (noun) a state in south central United States | |
9 | (adjective) burdened psychologically or mentally | |
9 | (adjective) of or relating to an orbit | |
9 | (noun) thick cushion used as a seat; (adjective) of or relating to the Ottoman Empire or its people or its culture | |
9 | (adjective) pertaining to or concerning the outdoors or outdoor activities | |
8 | (noun) the act of noticing or paying attention | |
8 | (verb) select as an alternative over another | |
8 | (noun) the organ of sight; (adjective) of or relating to or resembling the eye | |
8 | (adjective) possible but not necessary; left to personal choice | |
8 | (noun) a prophecy (usually obscure or allegorical) revealed by a priest or priestess; believed to be infallible | |
8 | (noun) garden consisting of a small cultivated wood without undergrowth | |
8 | (adjective) invested with ministerial or priestly functions | |
8 | (noun) the process of oscillating between states | |
8 | (noun) a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it; (adjective) rounded like an egg | |
8 | (adverb) during or for the length of one night | |
7 | (adjective) slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled; (noun) any grammatical case other than the nominative | |
7 | (adjective) capable of being seen or noticed | |
7 | (adjective) emotionally hurt or upset or annoyed | |
7 | (noun) an addictive narcotic extracted from seed capsules of the opium poppy | |
7 | (noun) the act of rendering optimal | |
7 | (noun) a person who delivers a speech or oration | |
7 | (noun) the status of being ordained to a sacred office | |
7 | (verb) deprive of parents; (noun) a child who has lost both parents | |
7 | (noun) an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance | |
7 | (noun) a member of the Algonquian people of southern Ontario | |
7 | (noun) a wantonly cruel act | |
7 | (noun) the organ that bears the ovules of a flower | |
7 | (noun) covering with a design in which one element covers a part of another (as with tiles or shingles) | |
7 | (adjective) open and observable; not secret or hidden | |
7 | (noun) nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes | |
6 | (noun) annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: 'oats') | |
6 | (adjective) no longer in use | |
6 | (noun) someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there | |
6 | (adverb) in a forward direction | |
6 | (adverb) in a forward direction | |
6 | (adjective) weighing heavily on the senses or spirit | |
6 | (noun) the optimistic feeling that all is going to turn out well | |
6 | (adjective) expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds | |
6 | (noun) a person who brings order and organization to an enterprise | |
6 | (verb) be oriented | |
6 | (noun) the quality of being orthodox (especially in religion) | |
6 | (noun) any cohesive unit such as a military company | |
6 | (verb) flow or run over (a limit or brim); (noun) the occurrence of surplus liquid (as water) exceeding the limit or capacity | |
6 | (verb) look past, fail to notice; (noun) a high place affording a good view | |
6 | (verb) catch up with and possibly overtake | |
6 | (noun) an adult castrated bull of the genus Bos; especially Bos taurus | |
6 | (verb) gather oysters, dig oysters; (noun) marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters | |
5 | (noun) judgment based on observable phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices | |
5 | (noun) a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena | |
5 | (noun) a lyric poem with complex stanza forms | |
5 | (adverb) away from shore; away from land; (adjective) (of winds) coming from the land | |
5 | (verb) make optimal; get the most out of; use best | |
5 | (noun) the value of a coordinate on the vertical axis | |
5 | (noun) the ability to think and act independently | |
5 | (adverb) without restrictions or stipulations or further payments; (adjective) without reservation or exception |