exclamation mark

/ˌɛks.kləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩ ˌmɑːk/

//ˌɛks.kləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩ ˌmɑːk// noun

"exclamation-mark" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exclamation mark” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The punctuation mark “!” (generally used to denote excitement, surprise or shock).

Corpus desk

Index EN-exclamation-mark · exclamation mark · English

exclamation mark · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for exclamation mark
PropertyValue
Headwordexclamation mark
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɛks.kləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩ ˌmɑːk/
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “exclamation mark” in English

exclamation marksits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

exclamation mark is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɛks.kləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩ ˌmɑːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The punctuation mark “!” (generally used to denote excitement, surprise or shock).".

No misspelling variants are generated for exclamation mark in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is exclamation mark, spelled E-X-C-L-A-M-A-T-I-O-N- -M-A-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The punctuation mark “!” (generally used to denote excitement, surprise or shock).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The excessive use of exclamation marks devalues their effect, but is typical of concise genres such as cartoons, not reference works!
  2. Subject: Fire... Dear Sir-stroke-Madam: Fire. Exclamation mark. Fire. Exclamation mark. Help me. Exclamation mark. 123 Carendon Road. Looking forward to hearing from you. All the best, Maurice Moss.

Synonyms

exclamationexclamation pointshriekbangecphonememark of admirationnote of admirationnote of exclamationnote of interjectionplingastonisherscreamerinterjection pointmark of exclamation

This word in other languages

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 "exclamation mark"?
"exclamation mark" is spelled E-X-C-L-A-M-A-T-I-O-N- -M-A-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛks.kləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩ ˌmɑːk/.
What does "exclamation mark" mean?
As a noun, "exclamation mark" means: The punctuation mark “!” (generally used to denote excitement, surprise or shock).
How do you pronounce "exclamation mark"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exclamation mark" is /ˌɛks.kləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩ ˌmɑːk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "exclamation mark" come from?
"exclamation mark" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list