To exercise is to train the body, or to use a right or power — exercise caution, exercise your vote. To exorcise is to drive out an evil spirit, and figuratively to rid yourself of something troubling. One letter separates the gym from the ritual.
The core difference
Using or training, versus driving out.
- exercise — train or use: exercise daily, exercise discretion, a military exercise.
- exorcise — drive out: exorcise a demon, exorcise old memories.
The broad reach of exercise
It goes well beyond fitness: you exercise caution, authority, a right, an option, judgement. That range is why it is the far commoner word and why exorcise gets absorbed by it.
The figurative exorcise
Exorcise the ghosts of the past is standard figurative usage — ridding yourself of something that haunts you. It keeps the O, and it is the only context where a writer is likely to need the word.
Frequently asked questions
Which spelling means driving out a spirit?
Exorcise, with the O.
Can exorcise be used figuratively?
Yes — exorcising the ghosts of the past means ridding yourself of something troubling.
What does "exercise discretion" mean?
To use judgement — one of the many non-fitness senses of exercise.