outsider
/ˌaʊtˈsaɪdəɹ/noun
outsider is spelled O-U-T-S-I-D-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, outsider means “Someone who is not part of a particular community, profession, organization etc.; a person coming from elsewhere, having no special knowledge” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of outsider is outsiders.
How many letters and syllables are in outsider?
| Letters | 8: O-U-T-S-I-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is outsider?
Outsider appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th 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 outsider?
- /ˌaʊtˈsaɪdəɹ/
Outsider has 3 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-outsider.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of outsider
- outsiders plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does outsider mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who is not part of a particular community, profession, organization etc.; a person coming from elsewhere, having no special knowledge.
While the initiated easily understand the symbols, they are wholly inaccessible to outsiders.
- 2
Someone who does not fit into conventional society; a misfit; an iconoclast.
- 3
A competitor or contestant who has little chance of winning; a long shot.
Johnny was an outsider at this year's karate tournament, but he still managed to win second place out of sheer determination.
- 4
obsoleterareA type of jaunting car with the passenger seats facing outwards.
- 5
rareThe heel or end piece of a loaf of bread.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Outsider in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | exclu, tiers , outsider |
| German | Außenseiter, Außenseiterin |
| Portuguese | marginal, forasteiro |
| Spanish | marginado, persona de fuera, outsider, afuerino, afuereño, fuereño |
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 outsider come from?
From outside + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).