contaminate

[kənˈtæmɪneɪt]

/[kənˈtæmɪneɪt]/ verb

The verdict

“contaminate” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas unrein machen, indem am einer giftigen oder verschmutzenden Substanz aussetzt oder eine solche hinzufügt

Corpus desk

Index DE-contaminate · contaminate · German

contaminate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for contaminate
PropertyValue
Headwordcontaminate
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[kənˈtæmɪneɪt]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „contaminate“ im Deutschen

contaminatesitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contaminate is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [kənˈtæmɪneɪt]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "etwas unrein machen, indem am einer giftigen oder verschmutzenden Substanz aussetzt oder eine solche hinzufügt".

Zero misspellings are on record for contaminate in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is contaminate, spelled C-O-N-T-A-M-I-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas unrein machen, indem am einer giftigen oder verschmutzenden Substanz aussetzt oder eine solche hinzufügt

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how contaminate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The nearby river has been contaminated with mercury.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "contaminate"?
"contaminate" is spelled C-O-N-T-A-M-I-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is [kənˈtæmɪneɪt].
What does "contaminate" mean?
As a verb, "contaminate" means: etwas unrein machen, indem am einer giftigen oder verschmutzenden Substanz aussetzt oder eine solche hinzufügt
How do you pronounce "contaminate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contaminate" is [kənˈtæmɪneɪt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "contaminate" come from?
"contaminate" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list