exculpate
/ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/
"exculpate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“exculpate” 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 clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | exculpate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “exculpate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for exculpate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “exculpate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-X-C-U-L-P-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɛkskəlpeɪt/ (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.