outbreak

/ˈaʊtbɹeɪk/

//ˈaʊtbɹeɪk// noun

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

"outbreak" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“outbreak” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,257. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,257
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-outbreak · outbreak · English

outbreak · rank #7,257 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,257
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH offset

Nearest frequency peer: offset (-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 “outbreak”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “outbreak” 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
Key facts for outbreak
PropertyValue
Headwordoutbreak
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaʊtbɹeɪk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,257
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “outbreak”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).outbreaklands 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 “offset” (#7,256), “PAL” (#7,258), “obligations” (#7,255). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “outbreak” is #7,257. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around outbreak (IPA /ˈaʊtbɹeɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,257 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for outbreak, with forms such as "otubreak", "oubtreak", and "outbbreak". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English outbreken, oute-breken, from Old English ūtābrecan (“to break out”), equivalent to out- + break. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uutbreeke (“to break out, burst out”), West Frisian útbrekke (“to break out”), Dutch uitbreken (“to break out… The correct English form is outbreak, spelled O-U-T-B-R-E-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.
  2. 2
    A sudden increase.
  3. 3
    An outburst or sudden eruption, especially of violence and mischief.
  4. 4
    Synonym of breakout (“escape from prison”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Any epidemic outbreak causes understandable panic.
  2. There has been an outbreak of vandalism at the school.

Etymology

From Middle English outbreken, oute-breken, from Old English ūtābrecan (“to break out”), equivalent to out- + break. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uutbreeke (“to break out, burst out”), West Frisian útbrekke (“to break out”), Dutch uitbreken (“to break out, burst out”), German ausbrechen (“to break out, erupt”). The noun is cognate with Saterland Frisian Uutbreek (“outbreak”), West Frisian útbrek (“outbreak”), Dutch uitbraak (“outbreak”), and German Ausbruch (“outbreak”), and is comparable to Danish udbrud (“outbreak”), Faroese and Icelandic útbrot (“rash”), Norwegian utbrudd (“outbreak”), and Swedish utbrott (“outbreak”).

Synonyms

outbursttumult

Antonyms

inbreak

This word in other languages

brote(Español)éruption(Français)Ausbruch(Deutsch)surto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otubreak
  • oubtreak
  • outbbreak
  • outberak
  • outbraek
  • outbreakk
  • outbreka
  • outbrreak
  • outrbeak
  • outtbreak
  • uotbreak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of outbreak - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

otubreak2oubtreak2outbbreak1outberak2outbraek2outbreakk1outbreka2outbrreak1
Edit distance from "outbreak"

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 "outbreak"?
"outbreak" is spelled O-U-T-B-R-E-A-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaʊtbɹeɪk/.
What does "outbreak" mean?
As a noun, "outbreak" means: An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.
What are common misspellings of "outbreak"?
Common misspellings include "otubreak", "oubtreak", "outbbreak", "outberak", "outbraek". The correct spelling is "outbreak".
How do you pronounce "outbreak"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "outbreak" is /ˈaʊtbɹeɪk/. 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 "outbreak"?
From Middle English outbreken, oute-breken, from Old English ūtābrecan (“to break out”), equivalent to out- + break. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uutbreeke (“to break out, burst out”), West Frisian útbrekke (“to break out”), Dutch uitbreken (“to... 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 "outbreak", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

refusing#7,273Reynolds#7,278founding#7,229failures#7,226

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

praying11 variantshonesty11 variantsfreight11 variantsextends11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list