excellent

/ˈɛksələnt/

//ˈɛksələnt// adj

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

"excellent" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“excellent” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,896. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,896
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having excelled, having surpassed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-excellent · excellent · English

excellent · rank #1,896 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,896
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH dropped

Nearest frequency peer: dropped (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “excellent”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “excellent” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

excellent vs excellently
82% similar
excellent vs excellence
80% similar
excellent vs excellency
80% similar

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

Key facts for excellent
PropertyValue
Headwordexcellent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɛksələnt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,896
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “excellent”

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).excellentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “dropped” (#1,895), “exist” (#1,897), “description” (#1,894). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “excellent” is #1,896. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around excellent (IPA /ˈɛksələnt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,896 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for excellent, with forms such as "ecxellent", "exccellent", and "excelelnt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "excellently", "excellence", "excellency", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English excellent, from Old French excellent, from Latin excellēns (“elevated, exalted”), present participle of excellō (“elevate, exult”), equivalent to excel + -ent. The correct English form is excellent, spelled E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having excelled, having surpassed.
  2. 2
    Of higher or the highest quality; splendid.
  3. 3
    Exceptionally good of its kind.
  4. 4
    Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire.
  2. Bill and Ted had an excellent adventure last week in preparation for their history exam.

Etymology

From Middle English excellent, from Old French excellent, from Latin excellēns (“elevated, exalted”), present participle of excellō (“elevate, exult”), equivalent to excel + -ent.

Synonyms

aceadmirableamazingawe-inspiringawesomebadassbang onbang-upstudlybasedbeneshipbitchingbombbrilliantbullycherchoicechronicchurcock oncommendablecoolcopaceticcrackerjackcushtydankdefdopeepicexcellentexceptionalexemplaryexquisiteextraordinaryfabfabulousfantabulosafantasticfinger-lickin' goodfirefireballfirst-rateflyfrabjousgloriousgnarlygoatedgreatgrouseimmaculateimpeccableincrediblekick-asskickingkillerlashlautitiouslitmagnificentmarvelousnangoutstandingout of sightphatpeakpengphenomenalpogpoggerspukkaqualityradradicalremarkablerumsensationalsickslap-upslickspectacularspiffingsplendidspot onstellarsterlingstunningsupersuperbsuperiorsweetswellterrifictighttoptop-drawertop-holetop-notchtop-of-the-rangetop-shelftoppingtubulartuffwell-donewickedwicked pissahwonderfulworldie

Antonyms

poorterriblebadinferior

This word in other languages

excelente(Español)excellent(Français)ausgezeichnet(Deutsch)excelente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ecxellent
  • exccellent
  • excelelnt
  • excelent
  • excellennt
  • excellentt
  • excelletn
  • excellnet
  • exclelent
  • execllent
  • exxcellent
  • xecellent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of excellent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ecxellent2exccellent1excelelnt2excelent1excellennt1excellentt1excelletn2excellnet2
Edit distance from "excellent"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "excellent"?
"excellent" is spelled E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛksələnt/.
What does "excellent" mean?
As an adjective, "excellent" means: Having excelled, having surpassed.
What words are commonly confused with "excellent"?
"excellent" is commonly confused with "excellently", "excellence", "excellency". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "excellent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "excellent" is /ˈɛksələnt/. 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 "excellent"?
From Middle English excellent, from Old French excellent, from Latin excellēns (“elevated, exalted”), present participle of excellō (“elevate, exult”), equivalent to excel + -ent. 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 "excellent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

somewhere#1,879reference#1,876afternoon#1,927assistant#1,928

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

teachers12 variantsreaction12 variantsprepared12 variantscitizens12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list