outhouse
out·house/ˈaʊthaʊs/noun, verb
outhouse is spelled O-U-T-H-O-U-S-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables (out·house). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, outhouse means “An outbuilding, typically permanent, containing a toilet or seat over a cesspit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of outhouse is outhouses.
How many letters and syllables are in outhouse?
| Letters | 8: O-U-T-H-O-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: out·house |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is outhouse?
Outhouse appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce outhouse?
- US /ˈaʊthaʊs/
Outhouse has 2 syllables, split out·house in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-outhouse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of outhouse
- outhouses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- outhousing participle, present
- outhoused participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does outhouse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CanadaUSAn outbuilding, typically permanent, containing a toilet or seat over a cesspit.
- 2
datedAny outbuilding: any small structure located apart from a main building.
verb
- 1
To house in a separate building.
In our discussion of outhousing we have tried to take into account the inconvenience to users as well as the potential savings in costs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Outhouse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense outdoor toilet – see also shithouse, latrine, toilet:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Plumpsklo, Außenklo, Außentoilette, Häuschen |
| Portuguese | casinha |
| Spanish | retrete exterior/apartado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does outhouse come from?
From Middle English outhous, equivalent to out- + house. Compare Old Norse úthús (“outhouse”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).