excoriate
/ɪkˈskɔɹ.iˌeɪt/
"excoriate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“excoriate” 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
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - to remove the skin and/or fur of, to flay, to skin
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | excoriate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪkˈskɔɹ.iˌeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “excoriate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for excoriate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪkˈskɔɹ.iˌeɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for excoriate in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the first part of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English *excoriaten (only attested in its past participle), borrowed from Late Latin excoriātus perfect passive participle of excoriō (“to take the skin or hide o… The correct English form is excoriate, spelled E-X-C-O-R-I-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1to remove the skin and/or fur of, to flay, to skin
- 2To wear off the skin of; to chafe.
- 3To strongly condemn or criticize.
Etymology
First attested in the first part of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English *excoriaten (only attested in its past participle), borrowed from Late Latin excoriātus perfect passive participle of excoriō (“to take the skin or hide off, flay, skin”), from ex- (“out off, from”) + corium (“hide, skin”) + -ō. Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English, later archaic.
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
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Using “excoriate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-X-C-O-R-I-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪkˈskɔɹ.iˌeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.