exonerate
/ɪɡˈzɒnəɹeɪt/
"exonerate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“exonerate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #46,451 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #46,451
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load).
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | exonerate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪɡˈzɒnəɹeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #46,451 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “exonerate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for exonerate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪɡˈzɒnəɹeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #46,451 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for exonerate, with forms such as "eoxnerate", "exnoerate", and "exoenrate". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "exonerated", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English exoneraten (attested in past participle exonerated), from Latin exonerātus, past perfect participle of exonerō (“to discharge, unload; to exonerate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Exonerō is from ex- (“out, from”) + onerō (“to burden,… The correct English form is exonerate, spelled E-X-O-N-E-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load).
- 2Of a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself).
- 3To free (someone) from an obligation, responsibility or task.
- 4To free (someone) from accusation or blame.
Etymology
From Middle English exoneraten (attested in past participle exonerated), from Latin exonerātus, past perfect participle of exonerō (“to discharge, unload; to exonerate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Exonerō is from ex- (“out, from”) + onerō (“to burden, lade; to load”) further from onus (oner-) (“a burden, load”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃énh₂os (“burden, load”), from *h₃enh₂- (“to charge, onerate”). Compare French exonérer.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eoxnerate,exnoerate,exoenrate,exonearte,exoneraet,exoneratte,exonerrate,exonertae,exonnerate,exonreate,exxonerate,xeonerate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exonerate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "exonerate"?
What does "exonerate" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "exonerate"?
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What is the origin of the word "exonerate"?
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Using “exonerate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-X-O-N-E-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪɡˈzɒnəɹeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “exonerated” - see the side-by-side comparison. exonerate vs exonerated
- 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.