exit

/ˈɛksɪt/

//ˈɛksɪt// noun

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

"exit" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exit” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,943 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,943
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

exit vs expo
50% similar
exit vs exon
50% similar
exit vs expat
60% similar

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

Key facts for exit
PropertyValue
Headwordexit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛksɪt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,943
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “exit” 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). exit lands here:

#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 exit is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛksɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,943 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for exit, with forms such as "eixt", "exitt", and "exti". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "expo", "exon", "expat", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English exit, from Latin exitus (“departure, going out; way by which one may go out, egress; (figuratively) conclusion, termination; (figuratively) death; income, revenue”), from exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape;… The correct English form is exit, spelled E-X-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
  2. 2
    An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
  3. 3
    A way out.
  4. 4
    A way out.
  5. 5
    The act of departing from life; death.

Etymology

From Middle English exit, from Latin exitus (“departure, going out; way by which one may go out, egress; (figuratively) conclusion, termination; (figuratively) death; income, revenue”), from exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape; of time: to expire, run out”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Exeō is derived from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + eō (“to go”) (ultimately from ). The English word is cognate with Italian esito, Portuguese êxito, Spanish éxito. Doublet of ejido and exitus. The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

salida(Español)sortie(Français)Abtritt(Deutsch)saída(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eixt,exitt,exti,exxit,xeit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exit - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eixt2exitt1exti2exxit1xeit2
Edit distance from "exit"

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 "exit"?
"exit" is spelled E-X-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛksɪt/.
What does "exit" mean?
As a noun, "exit" means: An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
What words are commonly confused with "exit"?
"exit" is commonly confused with "expo", "exon", "expat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exit" is /ˈɛksɪt/. 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 "exit"?
From Middle English exit, from Latin exitus (“departure, going out; way by which one may go out, egress; (figuratively) conclusion, termination; (figuratively) death; income, revenue”), from exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) ... 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 “exit”

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

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list