excuse

Name: excuse, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɪkˈskjuːz/

//ɪkˈskjuːz// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“excuse” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,676 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,676
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 8
tracked misspellings: 7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

excuse vs exposé

50% similar

excuse vs execute

71% similar

excuse vs excused

86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for excuse
Property	Value
Headword	excuse
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ɪkˈskjuːz/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#2,676
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	7
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “excuse” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). excuse lands here:

#2,676

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for excuse is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪkˈskjuːz/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,676 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for excuse, with forms such as "ecxuse", "exccuse", and "excsue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "exposé", "execute", "excused", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, acc… The correct English form is excuse, spelled E-X-C-U-S-E.

Definition

1
To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
2
To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.
3
To provide an excuse for; to justify.
4
To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.

Etymology

From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”).

Synonyms

forgivelet off the hooklet passpardon unguilt plead adduce

Antonyms

blame punish

This word in other languages

excusar(Español)excuser(Français)entschuldigen(Deutsch)desculpar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ecxuse,exccuse,excsue,excues,excusse,exucse,exxcuse,xecuse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of excuse - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "excuse"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "excuse"?

"excuse" is spelled E-X-C-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈskjuːz/.

What does "excuse" mean?

As a verb, "excuse" means: To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.

What words are commonly confused with "excuse"?

"excuse" is commonly confused with "exposé", "execute", "excused". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "excuse"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "excuse" is /ɪkˈskjuːz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "excuse"?

From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see ... See the full etymology section above for more details.

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.

Using “excuse”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is E-X-C-U-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɪkˈskjuːz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “exposé” - see the side-by-side comparison. excuse vs exposé
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.