exposition
/ɛkspəˈzɪʃən/noun
exposition is spelled E-X-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 3.9 times per million words in written English, the 13,127th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, exposition means “The action of exposing something to something, such as skin to the sunlight” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of exposition is expositions.
How many letters and syllables are in exposition?
| Letters | 10: E-X-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.9 times per million words; the 13,127th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is exposition?
Exposition appears 3.9 times per million words in written English, the 13,127th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce exposition?
- /ɛkspəˈzɪʃən/
Exposition has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-exposition.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-exposition.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of exposition
- expositions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does exposition mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The action of exposing something to something, such as skin to the sunlight.
- 2
The act or process of declaring or describing something through either speech or writing, in nonfiction or in fiction; the portions and aspects of a piece of writing that exist mainly to describe or explain a set of things (such as, in fiction, the setting, characters and other non-plot elements).
This essay has too much exposition in it.
- 3
obsoleteThe act of expulsion, or being expelled, from a place.
- 4
An exhibition, especially of goods, artwork or cultural displays to the public.
The first prototype was unveiled at an exposition.
- 5
An essay or speech in which any topic is discussed in detail.
I turned my research into an exposition on the traditional music of Borneo.
- 6
An opening section in fiction, in which background information about the characters, events or setting is conveyed.
- 7
The opening section of a movement in sonata form; the opening section of a fugue.
- 8
The abandonment of an unwanted child.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Exposition in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | exposition |
| German | Ausstellung, Exposition , Einführung |
| Portuguese | exposição |
| Spanish | exposición |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does exposition come from?
From Middle English exposicioun, from Old French esposicion, from Latin expositiō, from expōnere (“to put forth”). The sense meaning "exhibition" is a later semantic loan from French exposition.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).