outgo
/ˌaʊtˈɡəʊ/
"outgo" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“outgo” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To go further than (someone or something); to exceed, to go beyond, to surpass.
Corpus desk
Index EN-outgo · outgo · English
outgo · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-3 3 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | outgo |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌaʊtˈɡəʊ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “outgo” in English
Rare enough to double-check
outgo is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌaʊtˈɡəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for outgo in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *úd The verb is derived from Middle English outgon (“to go out, depart, leave; to come out, emerge; to escape; to protrude; of a sword: to be drawn; to emanate from (a place); to accompany”), from Old English ūtgān (“to go out”), Proto-West German… The correct English form is outgo, spelled O-U-T-G-O.
Definition
- 1To go further than (someone or something); to exceed, to go beyond, to surpass.
- 2To experience, go through, or undergo (something).
- 3To travel faster than (someone or something); to outstrip, to overtake.
- 4To go out, to set forth, to set out.
- 5To go too far; to overextend or overreach.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how outgo appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
So then it will alwayes bee found trew, that God outgoeth all our prayers, and all our wiſhes.
Shepheards delights he dooth them all forſweare, / Hys pleaſaunt Pipe, whych made vs meriment, / He wylfully hath broke, and doth forbeare / His wonted ſongs, wherein he all outwent.
Etymology
PIE word *úd The verb is derived from Middle English outgon (“to go out, depart, leave; to come out, emerge; to escape; to protrude; of a sword: to be drawn; to emanate from (a place); to accompany”), from Old English ūtgān (“to go out”), Proto-West Germanic *ūtgān (“to go out”), equivalent to out- + go. See also go out. Compare Middle English outwenden (“to go out, depart, leave; to escape; to be emitted, fly out from; of a weapon: to be drawn”), which, like modern outgo, had the past tense and past participle form outwent. The noun is derived from modern English out- (prefix meaning ‘away from; toward the outside of’) + go. Sense 1 (“cost, expenditure, or outlay”) was probably modelled on income. Cognates * Scots outgae * West Frisian útgean * Dutch uitgaan * German Low German utgahn * German ausgehen * Swedish utgå
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.