oust

/aʊst/

//aʊst// verb

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

"oust" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“oust” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,281. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,281
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To expel; to remove.

Corpus desk

Index EN-oust · oust · English

oust · rank #31,281 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,281
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH ovary

Nearest frequency peer: ovary (+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 “oust”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “oust” 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).

oust vs out
75% similar
oust vs OWS
0% similar
oust vs outta
60% similar

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

Key facts for oust
PropertyValue
Headwordoust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/aʊst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,281
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “oust”

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).oustlands 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 “ovary” (#31,282), “origami” (#31,279), “orbiter” (#31,278). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “oust” is #31,281. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around oust (IPA /aʊst/), averb. Corpus frequency is #31,281 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To expel; to remove.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for oust, with forms such as "osut", "ousst", and "oustt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "out", "OWS", "outta", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman ouster, oustier, from Old French oster (modern French ôter), from post-classical Latin obstare (“to remove”), classical obstāre (“to obstruct, stand in the way of”). Not related to out. The correct English form is oust, spelled O-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To expel; to remove.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how oust appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The protesters became so noisy that they were finally ousted from the meeting.
  2. The CEO was ousted by the board of directors.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman ouster, oustier, from Old French oster (modern French ôter), from post-classical Latin obstare (“to remove”), classical obstāre (“to obstruct, stand in the way of”). Not related to out.

Synonyms

banishdismissejectexcludekick out

Antonyms

acceptharborshelter

This word in other languages

desbancar(Español)expulser(Français)verdrängen(Deutsch)retirar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osut
  • ousst
  • oustt
  • outs
  • uost

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of oust - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

osut2ousst1oustt1outs2uost2
Edit distance from "oust"

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 "oust"?
"oust" is spelled O-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /aʊst/.
What does "oust" mean?
As a verb, "oust" means: To expel; to remove.
What words are commonly confused with "oust"?
"oust" is commonly confused with "out", "OWS", "outta". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "oust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oust" is /aʊst/. 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 "oust"?
From Anglo-Norman ouster, oustier, from Old French oster (modern French ôter), from post-classical Latin obstare (“to remove”), classical obstāre (“to obstruct, stand in the way of”). Not related to out. 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 "oust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pena#31,287poof#31,296mull#31,263Saad#31,329

Similar misspelling depth

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

juve5 variantsgove5 variantstaro5 variantsGaye5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list