Practice
Exercise and exorcise: understand the difference
Sign in to saveA gym notice may invite you to exercise. A ghost story may say that someone tried to exorcise a spirit. The words look related, but they belong in very different situations.
Choose exercise or exorcise accurately by checking the meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and grammar of the sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She exercises every morning; the story says a priest will exorcise the spirit. /ʃiː ˈek.sə.saɪ.zɪz ˈev.ri ˈmɔː.nɪŋ | ðə ˈstɔː.ri sez ə priːst wɪl ˈek.sɔː.saɪz ðə ˈspɪr.ɪt/
The short answer
Use exercise for physical activity, a practice task, or the use of an ability or right. Use exorcise for an attempt to drive out an evil spirit in a religious or fictional context.
I do exercise before work, but the novel's priest tries to exorcise a spirit.
Why it works: Exercise is everyday vocabulary. Exorcise belongs to a much narrower context.
5 more examples
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Mina exercises for thirty minutes after dinner.
The verb describes regular physical activity.
Not this:Mina completes two grammar
exercisesafter dinner. What changes: Here exercise is a countable noun for a practice task. -
The committee exercised caution before signing the contract.
Exercise can mean use a quality deliberately.
Not this:The committee
exercisedits right to ask for more time. What changes: The verb can also mean use a right or power. -
In the film, the family asks a priest to exorcise the spirit.
The verb concerns a ritual attempt to remove a spirit.
Not this:In the film, the family
exercisesin the garden. What changes: Physical activity needs exercise, not exorcise. -
This breathing exercise takes only five minutes.
Exercise is a noun naming an activity or task.
Not this:The book describes an
exorcismin its final chapter. What changes: Exorcism is the noun connected with exorcise. -
He exercises his vote at every local election.
Exercise can refer to using a legal right.
Not this:She
exercisesher memory by learning short poems. What changes: The same verb can describe using and developing a skill.
Read the full guide
Both words can be verbs, but only exercise is common in ordinary life. You can exercise, exercise regularly, or exercise your judgment. You can also complete an exercise in a workbook. Reserve exorcise for stories or discussions about a ritual intended to remove a spirit.
Start with the situation
Meaning is the quickest way to choose between these words. A sentence about a walk, gym class, workbook, voting, or careful judgment needs exercise. A sentence about a spirit or a ritual to remove one may need exorcise. Most learners will use exercise far more often.
We exercise outdoors when the weather is mild.
Outdoors and weather point to physical activity, so exercise is the natural verb.
Which word fits a sentence about a haunted house and a priest?
Use exorcise if the priest is trying to remove a spirit.
Use exercise as a verb for activity
As a verb, exercise often means do physical activity to keep fit or healthy. It can stand alone, or it can be followed by words that explain the activity. Use the normal verb forms: exercise, exercises, exercised, and exercising.
Omar exercises at the community centre twice a week.
Omar is one person in the present simple, so the verb is exercises.
We exercised before breakfast during the holiday.
The completed activity is in the past, so use exercised.
Use exercise as a noun for practice
An exercise can be a physical movement, but in a classroom it often means a task that lets you practise something. It is countable in this use, so you can say one exercise, several exercises, or a difficult exercise.
Read the instructions before you begin the vocabulary exercise.
The exercise is a single workbook task, not a session at a gym.
How do you refer to three short tasks in a grammar book?
Call them three grammar exercises.
Exercise can mean use a right or skill
Exercise also means use something that a person has, such as a right, authority, caution, patience, or judgment. This use is common in formal and neutral writing. The object after the verb tells you what is being used.
Each member may exercise the right to vote.
The right to vote is something a member can use, so exercise is appropriate.
Please exercise patience while the system updates.
The speaker asks for the deliberate use of patience.
Keep exorcise for its specific meaning
Exorcise is a specialised verb. It describes an attempt to drive out an evil spirit, usually in a religious account or a work of fiction. Its noun is exorcism. If you mean solve a worry, remove a stain, or stop a habit, choose a more ordinary verb such as address, remove, or overcome.
The novel describes an attempt to exorcise a spirit from the old house.
Spirit and old house establish the unusual context for exorcise.
Can you exorcise a spelling mistake from an essay?
No. You can correct or remove a spelling mistake. Exorcise does not mean remove in general.
Check the spelling before you send
The words share the beginning ex, which causes the confusion. Exercise ends in cise. Exorcise contains orcise, like the start of exorcism. If the sentence concerns ordinary activity or practice, exercise is almost certainly the intended word.
Daily exercise can improve your stamina.
Stamina is connected with physical training, which confirms exercise.
The actor rehearsed the scene in which the character tries to exorcise a demon.
Demon points to the narrow meaning of exorcise.
Before you go
Remember this
Exercise is the everyday word for activity, practice, or using a right or ability. Exorcise is the specialised verb for trying to remove an evil spirit. Check the topic first, then check the spelling: exercise has cise, while exorcise has orcise.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Exercise and exorcise: understand the difference"
What is the main difference between exercise and exorcise?
Exercise is the usual word for physical activity, a practice task, or using a right or skill. Exorcise is a specialised verb for attempting to drive out an evil spirit. The meanings are separate even though the words begin similarly.
Mina exercises for thirty minutes after dinner.
Can exercise be a noun and a verb?
Yes. As a verb, exercise can mean do physical activity or use a right, skill, or quality. As a noun, an exercise can be a training activity or a practice task in a book or class. Exorcise is a verb only.
Mina completes two grammar exercises after dinner.
How do I spell exercise and exorcise?
Exercise ends in cise. Exorcise has orcise near the end. Say the whole word as you write it, then check the sentence meaning. An ordinary health, school, or rights context nearly always requires exercise.
The committee exercised caution before signing the contract.
Can exorcise mean remove any problem?
No. Exorcise is limited to trying to remove an evil spirit in a religious or fictional context. For an ordinary problem, use a precise verb such as remove, correct, solve, address, or overcome.
The committee exercised its right to ask for more time.
What is the noun related to exorcise?
The noun is exorcism. It names the ritual or attempted removal of an evil spirit. Exercise has a different noun use and can name a physical activity or a practice task.
In the film, the family asks a priest to exorcise the spirit.