Exosculate is a relatively rare word that refers to the act of kissing with one's lips closed. Its spelling follows a fairly consistent pattern of English phonetics. The "ex-" prefix indicates an outer or external action, similar to the "exo-" prefix in words like "exoskeleton". The "-os-" in the middle of the word corresponds to the sound "ahs", and the final "-culate" ending is pronounced with a "kyoo-late" sound. In IPA phonetic transcription, the word is spelled ɛksɑskjʊleɪt.