externality
/ɛkstɚˈnælɪti/noun
externality is spelled E-X-T-E-R-N-A-L-I-T-Y: 11 letters. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 86,301st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, externality means “The state of being external or externalized” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of externality is externalities.
How many letters and syllables are in externality?
| Letters | 11: E-X-T-E-R-N-A-L-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 86,301st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is externality?
Externality appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 86,301st 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 externality?
- UK /ɛkstəˈnælɪti/
- US /ɛkstɚˈnælɪti/
- Australia /ekstəˈnælɪti/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-externality.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with externality?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as externality from its last stressed vowel (/ælɪti/):
- mortality
- homosexuality
- locality
- legality
- fatality
- totality
- sensuality
- tonality
- partiality
- cardinality
- instrumentality
- sodality
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of externality
- externalities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does externality mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being external or externalized.
- 2
A thing that is external relative to something else.
- 3
An impact, positive or negative, on any party not involved in a given economic transaction or act.
Waste is a negative externality arising from consumption.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Externality in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | exterioridad , externalidad |
| French | externalité |
| German | externer Effekt, Externalität |
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 externality come from?
From external + -ity. In the economic sense coined by British economist Alfred Marshall in 1890.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).