# contaminate vs contaminated

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### contaminate
*verb · IPA /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/ · frequency rank #35,662*
To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.

### contaminated
*adjective · frequency rank #11,186*
adulterated; impure

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contaminate-vs-contaminated