expat

/ˈɛksˌpæt/

//ˈɛksˌpæt// noun

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

"expat" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“expat” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,540
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An expatriate; a person temporarily residing in a foreign nation, usually a poorer one, often for an occupation, training, or education.

Corpus desk

Index EN-expat · expat · English

expat · rank #28,540 · 7 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,540
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH exorbitant

Nearest frequency peer: exorbitant (-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 “expat”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “expat” 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).

expat vs expo
60% similar
expat vs expel
60% similar
expat vs expect
67% similar

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

Key facts for expat
PropertyValue
Headwordexpat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛksˌpæt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#28,540
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “expat”

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).expatlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “exorbitant” (#28,539), “experimentally” (#28,541), “eyelid” (#28,543). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “expat” is #28,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around expat (IPA /ˈɛksˌpæt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,540 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An expatriate; a person temporarily residing in a foreign nation, usually a poorer one, often for an occupation, training, or education.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for expat, with forms such as "epxat", "exapt", and "expatt". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "expo", "expel", "expect", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Apocope of expatriate. The correct English form is expat, spelled E-X-P-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An expatriate; a person temporarily residing in a foreign nation, usually a poorer one, often for an occupation, training, or education.

Etymology

Apocope of expatriate.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epxat
  • exapt
  • expatt
  • exppat
  • expta
  • exxpat
  • xepat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epxat2exapt2expatt1exppat1expta2exxpat1xepat2
Edit distance from "expat"

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 "expat"?
"expat" is spelled E-X-P-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛksˌpæt/.
What does "expat" mean?
As a noun, "expat" means: An expatriate; a person temporarily residing in a foreign nation, usually a poorer one, often for an occupation, training, or education.
What words are commonly confused with "expat"?
"expat" is commonly confused with "expo", "expel", "expect". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "expat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "expat" is /ˈɛksˌpæt/. 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 "expat"?
Apocope of expatriate. 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 "expat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fecal#28,545decal#28,507Dawes#28,506cumin#28,504

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

ferret7 variantsfitter7 variantsDSLR7 variantsgassed7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list