exégèse

\ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\

/\ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\/ noun

The verdict

“exégèse” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #31,956 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#31,956
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Explication grammaticale et étymologique d'un texte ancien difficile, assortie d'un commentaire savant et d'une interprétation.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

exégèse vs exigée
57% similar
exégèse vs exagère
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for exégèse
PropertyValue
Headwordexégèse
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,956
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “exégèse” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). exégèse lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for exégèse is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\. Corpus data places it at rank #31,956 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for exégèse, with forms such as "exegese", "exgéèse", and "exxégèse". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "exigée", "exagère", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is exégèse, spelled E-X-É-G-È-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Explication grammaticale et étymologique d'un texte ancien difficile, assortie d'un commentaire savant et d'une interprétation.
  2. 2
    Étude approfondie d'un texte et en particulier d'un texte sacré ancien. Commentaire philologique, explication historique, et interprétation de la Bible.
  3. 3
    ou Explication d’un écrit, rendue nécessaire par son caractère prétentieux et alambiqué.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: exegese,exgéèse,exxégèse,exéggèse,exégsèe,exégèes,exégèsse,exéègse,eéxgèse,xeégèse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exégèse - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

exegese2exgéèse2exxégèse1exéggèse1exégsèe2exégèes2exégèsse1exéègse2
Edit distance from "exégèse"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "exégèse"?
"exégèse" is spelled E-X-É-G-È-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\.
What does "exégèse" mean?
As a noun, "exégèse" means: Explication grammaticale et étymologique d'un texte ancien difficile, assortie d'un commentaire savant et d'une interprétation.
What words are commonly confused with "exégèse"?
"exégèse" is commonly confused with "exigée", "exagère". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exégèse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exégèse" is \ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "exégèse" come from?
"exégèse" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “exégèse”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is E-X-É-G-È-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛɡ.ze.ʒɛz\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “exigée” - see the side-by-side comparison. exégèse vs exigée
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list