Let's Not Misspell It — Ostensibly

There are roughly 2,500 pages indexed by Google which contain "obstensively". Few enough to lead a smart person to conclude that the word may not be spelled right, but more than enough to thwart attempts to use the misspelling to find the correct spelling. "Obstensively", the word we're all reaching for in this case is ostensibly.

Main Entry: os·ten·si·bly

Pronunciation: \-blē\

Function: adverb

Date: 1765

1 : in an ostensible manner
2 : to all outward appearances

From ostensible. . .

Main Entry: os·ten·si·ble 

Pronunciation: \ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-bəl, ə-\

Function: adjective

Etymology: French, from Latin ostensus, past participle of ostendere to show, from obs-, ob- in the way + tendere to stretch — more at ob-, thin

Date: circa 1771

1 : intended for display : open to view 2 : being such in appearance : plausible rather than demonstrably true or real <the ostensible purpose for the trip>

synonyms see apparent