out of place

/ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s/

//ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s// prep_phrase

"out-of-place" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“out of place” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not in the proper arrangement or situation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-out-of-place · out of place · English

out of place · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for out of place
PropertyValue
Headwordout of place
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
IPA/ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “out of place” in English

out of placefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

out of place is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase, transcribed /ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for out of place, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From out of (preposition) + place (“a fitting position”, noun). The correct English form is out of place, spelled O-U-T- -O-F- -P-L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not in the proper arrangement or situation.
  2. 2
    Inappropriate for the circumstances.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No wonder I couldn’t find it—it was out of place.
  2. She came in out of the storm with not a hair out of place.

Etymology

From out of (preposition) + place (“a fitting position”, noun).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "out of place"?
"out of place" is spelled O-U-T- -O-F- -P-L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s/.
What does "out of place" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "out of place" means: Not in the proper arrangement or situation.
How do you pronounce "out of place"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "out of place" is /ˌaʊ̯t əv ˈpleɪ̯s/. 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 "out of place"?
From out of (preposition) + place (“a fitting position”, noun). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list