exhale

/ɛksˈheɪl/

//ɛksˈheɪl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“exhale” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,054. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,054
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exhale · exhale · English

exhale · rank #25,054 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,054
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH ethically

Nearest frequency peer: ethically (-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 “exhale”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “exhale” 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).

exhale vs exile
67% similar
exhale vs exalt
67% similar

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

Key facts for exhale
PropertyValue
Headwordexhale
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɛksˈheɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,054
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “exhale”

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).exhalelands 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 “ethically” (#25,053), “fanning” (#25,055), “esquire” (#25,052). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “exhale” is #25,054. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around exhale (IPA /ɛksˈheɪl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,054 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for exhale, with forms such as "ehxale", "exahle", and "exhael". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "exile", "exalt", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French exhaler, from Latin exhalare, from ex (“out”) + halare (“to breathe”). The correct English form is exhale, spelled E-X-H-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out.
  2. 2
    To expel (something, such as tobacco smoke) from the lungs by action of the diaphragm.
  3. 3
    To pass off in the form of vapour; to emerge.
  4. 4
    To emit (a vapour, an odour, etc.).
  5. 5
    To draw out; to cause to be emitted in vapour.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Above was a tiled roof – though from that imperfect tiling exhaled stench and pestilence.
  2. Passengers on the earliest railway services would not even have enjoyed the luxury of a platform, instead having to step up onto the waiting open top wagons, where they would experience a journey that left many choking on the plumes of smoke exhaled by the leading locomotive.

Etymology

From Middle French exhaler, from Latin exhalare, from ex (“out”) + halare (“to breathe”).

Synonyms

outbreathebreathe outexpireoutbreathebreathe outexpireemanateemitexhaleexpel

Antonyms

inbreathebreathe ininhaleinbreathebreathe ininspire

This word in other languages

espirar(Español)expirer(Français)ausatmen(Deutsch)exalar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehxale
  • exahle
  • exhael
  • exhalle
  • exhhale
  • exhlae
  • exxhale
  • xehale

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehxale2exahle2exhael2exhalle1exhhale1exhlae2exxhale1xehale2
Edit distance from "exhale"

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 "exhale"?
"exhale" is spelled E-X-H-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛksˈheɪl/.
What does "exhale" mean?
As a verb, "exhale" means: To expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out.
What words are commonly confused with "exhale"?
"exhale" is commonly confused with "exile", "exalt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exhale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exhale" is /ɛksˈheɪl/. 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 "exhale"?
From Middle French exhaler, from Latin exhalare, from ex (“out”) + halare (“to breathe”). 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 "exhale", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Farley#25,056Fergus#25,057flurry#25,062dusted#25,043

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

franc8 variantsgalore8 variantsloathe8 variantsalluded8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list