# excavate vs excavator

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### excavate
*verb · IPA /ˈɛk.skə.veɪt/ · frequency rank #43,632*
To make a hole in (something); to hollow.

### excavator
*noun · IPA /ˈɛkskəˌveɪtə/ · frequency rank #41,617*
A person who excavates.

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