exhort

/ɛɡˈzɔːt/

//ɛɡˈzɔːt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“exhort” is uncommon English (frequency #72,289 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,289
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To urge; to advise earnestly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exhort · exhort · English

exhort · rank #72,289 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,289
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Europol

Nearest frequency peer: Europol (-3 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 “exhort”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for exhort
PropertyValue
Headwordexhort
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɛɡˈzɔːt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#72,289
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “exhort” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).exhortfalls 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: “Europol” (#72,286), “extraterritorial” (#72,292), “Euromaidan” (#72,285). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “exhort” is #72,289. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

exhort is uncommon English at frequency #72,289 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɛɡˈzɔːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To urge; to advise earnestly.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for exhort, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English exorten, from Old French exhorter, from Latin exhortārī (“to encourage”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + hortārī (“to incite, spur”). The correct English form is exhort, spelled E-X-H-O-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To urge; to advise earnestly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And with many other words did hee testifie and exhort, saying, Saue your selues from this vntoward generation.
  2. And now, my dear sir, let me exhort you to take care of yourself.

Etymology

From Middle English exorten, from Old French exhorter, from Latin exhortārī (“to encourage”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + hortārī (“to incite, spur”).

This word in other languages

exhortar(Español)exhorter(Français)ermahnen(Deutsch)exortar(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 "exhort"?
"exhort" is spelled E-X-H-O-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛɡˈzɔːt/.
What does "exhort" mean?
As a verb, "exhort" means: To urge; to advise earnestly.
How do you pronounce "exhort"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exhort" is /ɛɡˈzɔːt/. 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 "exhort"?
From Middle English exorten, from Old French exhorter, from Latin exhortārī (“to encourage”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + hortārī (“to incite, spur”). 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 "exhort", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Elster#72,272egoist#72,266Fitton#72,313Dmytro#72,245

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list