state of exception
"state-of-exception" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“state of exception” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A condition in which ordinary laws or norms have been suspended by a political authority.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | state of exception |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “state of exception” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
state of exception is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A condition in which ordinary laws or norms have been suspended by a political authority.".
state of exception doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of German Ausnahmezustand, primarily as used by the German jurist and philosopher Carl Schmitt; popularised in English by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben in the 1990s–2000s. The correct English form is state of exception, spelled S-T-A-T-E- -O-F- -E-X-C-E-P-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A condition in which ordinary laws or norms have been suspended by a political authority.
Etymology
Calque of German Ausnahmezustand, primarily as used by the German jurist and philosopher Carl Schmitt; popularised in English by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben in the 1990s–2000s.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "state of exception"?
What does "state of exception" mean?
What is the origin of the word "state of exception"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “state of exception”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-T-E- -O-F- -E-X-C-E-P-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.