Obsticle or obstacle?
Did you mean obstacle? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
obsticle
Correct
obstacle
Correct spelling: obstacle. Misspelling: obsticle.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
Ob + sta + cle: an obstacle stands in your way.
Why people write “obsticle”
The misspelling “obsticle” is only one letter off: it writes I where obstacle has A, an easy slip because in an unstressed syllable both vowels can sound like the same soft "uh".
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make obstacle automatic.
Other misspellings of “obstacle”
People also write “obstical”. Here is where each one goes wrong.
“obstical”
Correct spelling: obstacle. Misspelling: obstical.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
“obstical” differs from “obstacle” in 3 places: it writes I where obstacle has A, an easy slip because in an unstressed syllable both vowels can sound like the same soft "uh"; it uses A in place of L; and it uses L in place of E.
What does “obstacle” mean?
obstacle noun
- something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
“lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement”
Synonyms:obstruction
- an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Obstacle” in a sentence
- We had to climb over an obstacle.
- Lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement.
Is “obstacle” a playable word?
12 points in Scrabble · 15 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“obsticle” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from OBSTACLE.