exempt

/ɪɡˈzɛmpt/

//ɪɡˈzɛmpt// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"exempt" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exempt” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,889. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,889
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Free from a duty, obligation, rule, law, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exempt · exempt · English

exempt · rank #9,889 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,889
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH exclude

Nearest frequency peer: exclude (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “exempt”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “exempt” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

exempt vs exert
67% similar
exempt vs except
67% similar
exempt vs excerpt
71% similar

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

Key facts for exempt
PropertyValue
Headwordexempt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪɡˈzɛmpt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,889
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “exempt”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).exemptlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “exclude” (#9,888), “exposing” (#9,890), “faint” (#9,891). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “exempt” is #9,889. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around exempt (IPA /ɪɡˈzɛmpt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,889 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for exempt, with forms such as "eexmpt", "exemmpt", and "exemppt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "exert", "except", "excerpt", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French exempt, from Latin exemptus, past participle of eximō. The correct English form is exempt, spelled E-X-E-M-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Free from a duty, obligation, rule, law, etc.
  2. 2
    Not entitled to overtime pay when working overtime.
  3. 3
    Cut off; set apart.
  4. 4
    Extraordinary; exceptional.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how exempt appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In their country all women are exempt from military service.
  2. His income is so small that it is exempt from tax.

Etymology

From Middle French exempt, from Latin exemptus, past participle of eximō.

This word in other languages

exento(Español)exempt(Français)freigestellt(Deutsch)isento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eexmpt
  • exemmpt
  • exemppt
  • exemptt
  • exemtp
  • exepmt
  • exmept
  • exxempt
  • xeempt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exempt - 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.

eexmpt2exemmpt1exemppt1exemptt1exemtp2exepmt2exmept2exxempt1
Edit distance from "exempt"

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 "exempt"?
"exempt" is spelled E-X-E-M-P-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪɡˈzɛmpt/.
What does "exempt" mean?
As an adjective, "exempt" means: Free from a duty, obligation, rule, law, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "exempt"?
"exempt" is commonly confused with "exert", "except", "excerpt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exempt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exempt" is /ɪɡˈzɛmpt/. 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 "exempt"?
From Middle French exempt, from Latin exemptus, past participle of eximō. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "exempt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Durham#9,883drones#9,882floods#9,896drawer#9,880

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

exclude9 variantscosmic9 variantsmelted9 variantschopped9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list