words starting with "ex"

[Tom Zurinskas]

Words starting with "ex"

There are 64 words in the top 5,000 words of English that start with "ex"
according to the word-count analysis of English media text by Collins
Cobuild.
They are listed below.  Of interest is how the first sound of "ex" is
pronounced
by the speakers in m-w.com.  They may say it with "short e" or "short i."
They are faithful to the phonetic spelling that m-w.com provides.
Without peeking at m-w.com, take the test.  Which words take which
pronunciations for "ex."  Do you think this is correct for American dialect?

The words are listed in order of popularity
1       example
2       experience
3       except
4       exactly
5       expected
6       expect
7       exercise
8       extent
9       explain
10      explained
11      extra
12      expression
13      extremely
14      existence
15      expensive
16      exist
17      extreme
18      expressed
19      excellent
20      exchange
21      existing
22      examination
23      express
24      extraordinary
25      experienced
26      explanation
27      examples
28      excitement
29      executive
30      extended
31      excuse
32      exciting
33      expert
34      existed
35      exposed
36      examined
37      excited
38      exact
39      expansion
40      experiences
41      exists
42      exercises
43      experts
44      experiment
45      examine
46      external
47      experiments
48      expenditure
49      exhausted
50      exception
51      expense
52      expecting
53      extension
54      extend
55      explaining
56      explosion
57      exploitation
58      examinations
59      extensive
60      expectations
61      exhibition
62      excess
63      exposure
64      explains




According to m-w.com over eighty percent of the words start with "short i".
In the count of word instances in text, it's eighty six percent.  I
personally believe that this is more UK than USA accent.

Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+
See truespel.com - and the 4  truespel books plus "Occasional Poems" at
authorhouse.com.

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