Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

exonym

/ˈɛksənɪm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: ex-onym
IPA: /ˈɛksənɪm/

18

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An external name for a place, people or a language used by outgroup members (such as foreigners) instead of ingroup members (such as native-language speakers).

Example Sentences

"Recognizing that measures such as the categorization of exonym use, the publication of pronunciation guides for endonyms, and the formulation of guidelines ensuring a politically sensitive use of exonyms would help in the reduction of the number of exonyms, […]"
"“Mandarin” is what linguists call an exonym, an external name for a place, people, or language. And exonyms often tell of a history of how cultures met, fought, and interacted."

Etymology

From exo- (“outside”) + -onym (“name”).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: exo-
Suffix: -onym

Inflected Forms

exonyms (plural)

Derived Forms

exonymic exonymous

Phrases

category:English exonyms for a list

Frequently Paired Words

category:English exonyms for a list

Synonyms

xenonym

Antonyms

endonym autonym selfname

Questions

How do you pronounce exonym?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛksənɪm/.
What does exonym mean?: An external name for a place, people or a language used by outgroup members (such as foreigners) instead of ingroup members (such as native-language speakers).
Where does exonym come from?: From exo- (“outside”) + -onym (“name”).

How to pronounce exonym

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “exonym”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛksənɪm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “exonym”.
Repeat and practice — Say “exonym” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.