exogamy

/ɛksˈɑ.ɡə.mi/

//ɛksˈɑ.ɡə.mi// noun

"exogamy" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“exogamy” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - marriage to a person belonging to a tribe or group other than one's own as required by custom or law

Corpus desk

Index EN-exogamy · exogamy · English

exogamy · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for exogamy
PropertyValue
Headwordexogamy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɛksˈɑ.ɡə.mi/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “exogamy” in English

exogamyfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

exogamy is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɛksˈɑ.ɡə.mi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

exogamy has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. 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 exo- + -gamy. Coined by British lawyer and ethnologist John Ferguson McLennan in his Studies in Ancient History, page 25. The correct English form is exogamy, spelled E-X-O-G-A-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    marriage to a person belonging to a tribe or group other than one's own as required by custom or law
  2. 2
    the fusion of two unrelated gametes

Etymology

From exo- + -gamy. Coined by British lawyer and ethnologist John Ferguson McLennan in his Studies in Ancient History, page 25.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "exogamy"?
"exogamy" is spelled E-X-O-G-A-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛksˈɑ.ɡə.mi/.
What does "exogamy" mean?
As a noun, "exogamy" means: marriage to a person belonging to a tribe or group other than one's own as required by custom or law
How do you pronounce "exogamy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exogamy" is /ɛksˈɑ.ɡə.mi/. 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 "exogamy"?
From exo- + -gamy. Coined by British lawyer and ethnologist John Ferguson McLennan in his Studies in Ancient History, page 25. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list