exact

/ɪɡˈzækt/

//ɪɡˈzækt// adj

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

"exact" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exact” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,944. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,944
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exact · exact · English

exact · rank #2,944 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,944
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entitled

Nearest frequency peer: entitled (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “exact”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “exact” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

exact vs exit
60% similar
exact vs exam
60% similar
exact vs exec
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for exact
PropertyValue
Headwordexact
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪɡˈzækt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,944
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “exact” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).exact lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around exact (IPA /ɪɡˈzækt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,944 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for exact, with forms such as "eaxct", "exacct", and "exactt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "exit", "exam", "exec", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin exāctus (the verb via Middle English exact), perfect passive participle of exigō (“demand, claim as due; measure by a standard, weigh, test”), from ex (“out”) + agō (“drive”). The correct English form is exact, spelled E-X-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect.
  2. 2
    Habitually careful to agree with a standard, a rule, or a promise; accurate; methodical; punctual.
  3. 3
    Precisely or definitely conceived or stated; strict.
  4. 4
    Such that the kernel of each morphism is the image of the preceding one.
  5. 5
    Such that it preserves short exact sequences.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how exact appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The clock keeps exact time.
  2. He paid the exact debt.

Etymology

From Latin exāctus (the verb via Middle English exact), perfect passive participle of exigō (“demand, claim as due; measure by a standard, weigh, test”), from ex (“out”) + agō (“drive”).

Synonyms

perfecttruecorrectprecisestrictspot on

Antonyms

inexactimpreciseapproximateloose

This word in other languages

exacto(Español)exact(Français)exakt(Deutsch)exato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eaxct
  • exacct
  • exactt
  • exatc
  • excat
  • exxact
  • xeact

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exact - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eaxct2exacct1exactt1exatc2excat2exxact1xeact2
Edit distance from "exact"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "exact"?
"exact" is spelled E-X-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪɡˈzækt/.
What does "exact" mean?
As an adjective, "exact" means: Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect.
What words are commonly confused with "exact"?
"exact" is commonly confused with "exit", "exam", "exec". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exact"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exact" is /ɪɡˈzækt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "exact"?
From Latin exāctus (the verb via Middle English exact), perfect passive participle of exigō (“demand, claim as due; measure by a standard, weigh, test”), from ex (“out”) + agō (“drive”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "exact", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

kinds#2,951loans#2,953clubs#2,933quote#2,963

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

swear7 variantssteam7 variantsbread7 variantspilot7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "exact". Here's where to go from here.

  • "exact" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "exit". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,944 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "E" letter cohort. E–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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