outage

/ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"outage" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“outage” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,727. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,727
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply.

Corpus desk

Index EN-outage · outage · English

outage · rank #20,727 · 7 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,727
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH orthodoxy

Nearest frequency peer: orthodoxy (-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 “outage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “outage” 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).

outage vs outrage
86% similar
outage vs outraged
75% similar
outage vs Osage
50% similar

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

Key facts for outage
PropertyValue
Headwordoutage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,727
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “outage”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).outagelands 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 “orthodoxy” (#20,726), “overcame” (#20,728), “ordinarily” (#20,725). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “outage” is #20,727. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around outage (IPA /ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,727 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for outage, with forms such as "otuage", "ouatge", and "outaeg". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "outrage", "outraged", "Osage", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From out + -age, on the model of shortage. The correct English form is outage, spelled O-U-T-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply.
  2. 2
    The amount of something lost in storage or transportation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look…

Etymology

From out + -age, on the model of shortage.

This word in other languages

apagón(Español)panne(Français)Ausfall(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otuage
  • ouatge
  • outaeg
  • outagge
  • outgae
  • outtage
  • uotage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of outage - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

otuage2ouatge2outaeg2outagge1outgae2outtage1uotage2
Edit distance from "outage"

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 "outage"?
"outage" is spelled O-U-T-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "outage" mean?
As a noun, "outage" means: A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply.
What words are commonly confused with "outage"?
"outage" is commonly confused with "outrage", "outraged", "Osage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "outage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "outage" is /ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "outage"?
From out + -age, on the model of shortage. 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 "outage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

packer#20,730pelvis#20,733Nadine#20,715morbid#20,711

Similar misspelling depth

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

nouns7 variantspuddle7 variantsmacho7 variantsLillian7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list