outbuilding

/ˈaʊtˌbɪl.dɪŋ/

//ˈaʊtˌbɪl.dɪŋ// noun

"outbuilding" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“outbuilding” is uncommon English (frequency #70,979 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,979
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A building, such as a barn, shed, or garage, that is separate from, but associated with some main building.

Corpus desk

Index EN-outbuilding · outbuilding · English

outbuilding · rank #70,979 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,979
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outflank

Nearest frequency peer: outflank (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “outbuilding”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “outbuilding” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for outbuilding
PropertyValue
Headwordoutbuilding
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaʊtˌbɪl.dɪŋ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#70,979
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “outbuilding” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).outbuildingfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “outflank” (#70,980), “Osamu” (#70,977), “ornithological” (#70,976). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “outbuilding” is #70,979. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

outbuilding is uncommon English at frequency #70,979 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈaʊtˌbɪl.dɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A building, such as a barn, shed, or garage, that is separate from, but associated with some main building.".

Zero misspellings are on record for outbuilding in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From out + building. The correct English form is outbuilding, spelled O-U-T-B-U-I-L-D-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A building, such as a barn, shed, or garage, that is separate from, but associated with some main building.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Above him, the sun gleamed gold and white. Before him, trackless wilderness extended for many leagues before lapping against the outbuildings of some village.
  2. Once they reach the remote farm, Jake insists on giving Lucy a tour of the outbuildings before they go into the house, a tour that includes some lambs that have frozen to death in a barn, and the spot where a pig was eaten alive by maggots.

Etymology

From out + building.

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); 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 "outbuilding"?
"outbuilding" is spelled O-U-T-B-U-I-L-D-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaʊtˌbɪl.dɪŋ/.
What does "outbuilding" mean?
As a noun, "outbuilding" means: A building, such as a barn, shed, or garage, that is separate from, but associated with some main building.
How do you pronounce "outbuilding"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "outbuilding" is /ˈaʊtˌbɪl.dɪŋ/. 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 "outbuilding"?
From out + building. 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 "outbuilding", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list