burn out

verb

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

"burn-out" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“burn out” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To destroy by fire.

Key facts for burn out
PropertyValue
Headwordburn out
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “burn out” sits in English frequency

burn out falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for burn out is 8 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for burn out, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is burn out, spelled B-U-R-N- -O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To destroy by fire.
  2. 2
    To become extinguished due to lack of fuel.
  3. 3
    To become nonfunctional (especially of lightbulbs or similar light-producing devices).
  4. 4
    To tire due to overwork; to overwork to one's limit.
  5. 5
    To cause (someone) to tire due to overwork; to cause (someone) to overwork to one's limit.
  6. 6
    To end one's shift at a job.
  7. 7
    To have one's tires skid against the ground; to peel off, peel out.
  8. 8
    To make (someone) unavailable for work involving exposure to ionizing radiation by employing (the person) in such work until the person's accumulated exposure reaches the maximum permitted for an administrative period, typically a year.
  9. 9
    To use up too much energy when first bowled and to therefore not finish strongly.

This word in other languages

patinar(Español)s'épuiser(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "burn out"?
"burn out" is spelled B-U-R-N- -O-U-T.
What does "burn out" mean?
As a verb, "burn out" means: To destroy by fire.
What language does "burn out" come from?
"burn out" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “burn out”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-R-N- -O-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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