exculpate
/ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/
"exculpate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“exculpate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.
Corpus desk
Index EN-exculpate · exculpate · English
exculpate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | exculpate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “exculpate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
exculpate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.".
Zero misspellings are on record for exculpate in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin exculpātus, perfect passive participle of exculpō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out, from”) + culpa (“fault; blame”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is exculpate, spelled E-X-C-U-L-P-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how exculpate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1896, Edward Manson, J. S. Henderson (editors), Reports of Cases in Bankruptcy and Companies' Winding-Up, Volume 3, Sweet & Maxwell, page 72, When one comes to look at subsection 7, it is quite clear that the Court can only allow expenses to a person ordered to attend for examination if in the opinion of the Court he is exculpated from any of the charges…
The inquest on keeper Davidson was duly held, and at the commencement seemed likely to cause Tony Palliser less anxiety than he had expected. Northrop knew all about Tony's flirtation with Lucy Davidson, but it also knew a good deal more about that lady than Tony did, and exculpated him.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin exculpātus, perfect passive participle of exculpō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out, from”) + culpa (“fault; blame”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
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.