exfoliate

/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/

//ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt// verb

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

"exfoliate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exfoliate” is uncommon English (frequency #60,071 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,071
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove the leaves from a plant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exfoliate · exfoliate · English

exfoliate · rank #60,071 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,071
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH evolutionarily

Nearest frequency peer: evolutionarily (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “exfoliate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “exfoliate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for exfoliate
PropertyValue
Headwordexfoliate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#60,071
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “exfoliate” in English

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).exfoliatefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “evolutionarily” (#60,070), “exfoliation” (#60,072), “exhalation” (#60,073). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “exfoliate” is #60,071. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

exfoliate is uncommon English at frequency #60,071 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

exfoliate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin exfoliō (“I strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier. The correct English form is exfoliate, spelled E-X-F-O-L-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove the leaves from a plant.
  2. 2
    To remove a layer of skin, as in cosmetic preparation.
  3. 3
    To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales as the result of heat or decomposition.

Etymology

From Late Latin exfoliō (“I strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.

This word in other languages

exfolier(Français)entblättern(Deutsch)esfoliar(Português)

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 "exfoliate"?
"exfoliate" is spelled E-X-F-O-L-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/.
What does "exfoliate" mean?
As a verb, "exfoliate" means: To remove the leaves from a plant.
How do you pronounce "exfoliate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exfoliate" is /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/. 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 "exfoliate"?
From Late Latin exfoliō (“I strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier. 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 "exfoliate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fairyland#60,077erudition#60,062energizer#60,061Finlayson#60,084

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list