exculpatory
ex·cul·pat·o·ry/ɛksˈkʌl.pəˌtɔ.ɹi/adjective
exculpatory is spelled E-X-C-U-L-P-A-T-O-R-Y: 11 letters and 5 syllables (ex·cul·pat·o·ry). It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, exculpatory means “Tending to excuse or clear of wrongdoing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in exculpatory?
| Letters | 11: E-X-C-U-L-P-A-T-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: ex·cul·pat·o·ry |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 70,702nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is exculpatory?
Exculpatory appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce exculpatory?
- UK /ɪksˈkʌl.pə.tɹi/
- UK /ɪksˈkʌl.pə.tə.ɹi/
- US /ɛksˈkʌl.pəˌtɔ.ɹi/
Exculpatory has 5 syllables, split ex·cul·pat·o·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-exculpatory.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with exculpatory?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as exculpatory from its last stressed vowel (/ʌlpətɔɹi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of exculpatory
- more exculpatory comparative
- most exculpatory superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does exculpatory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tending to excuse or clear of wrongdoing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Exculpatory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense tending to excuse or clear of wrongdoing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | à décharge |
| German | entlastend |
| Portuguese | exculpante, exculpatório |
| Spanish | autoexculpatorio, exculpatorio |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does exculpatory come from?
From exculpate + -ory (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to, serving for’). Exculpate is derived from Medieval Latin exculpātus, perfect passive participle of exculpō (“to free from blame, exculpate”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + culpa (“defect, fault; crime”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-). Cognate with Spanish exculpatorio.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).