outlay
/ˈaʊtleɪ/noun, verb
outlay is spelled O-U-T-L-A-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, outlay means “A laying out or expending; that which is laid out or expended” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of outlay is outlays.
How many letters and syllables are in outlay?
| Letters | 6: O-U-T-L-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is outlay?
Outlay appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th 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 outlay?
- /ˈaʊtleɪ/
As a verb (“To lay or spread out; expose; display”): /aʊtˈleɪ/.
Outlay has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-outlay.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-outlay2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with outlay?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as outlay.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: layout.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of outlay
- outlays plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- outlaying participle, present
- outlaid participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does outlay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A laying out or expending; that which is laid out or expended.
- 2
The spending of money, or an expenditure.
Without too much outlay, you could buy a second-hand car.
- 3
archaicA remote haunt or habitation.
verb
- 1
To lay or spread out; expose; display.
- 2
To spend, or distribute money.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Outlay in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 outlay come from?
From out- + lay.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).