Which to use
“sedate” is an adjective and “spate” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,081
- “sedate” frequency rank
- #37,701
- “spate” frequency rank
- 76782
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sedate | spate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Remaining composed and dignified, and avoiding too much activity or excitement. | A (sudden) flood or inundation of water; specifically, a flood in or overflow of a river or other watercourse due to heavy rain or melting snow; (uncountable, archaic) flooding, inundation. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sedate and spate apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sedate is /sɪˈdeɪt/ while spate is /speɪt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sedate is recorded at frequency rank #39,081, classified as anadj, pronounced /sɪˈdeɪt/. spate is at rank #37,701, tagged as anoun, pronounced /speɪt/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 76782, this pair ranks #29,149 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sedate vs spate
Shared letters: aest. Private to "sedate": d. Private to "spate": p.
"sedate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "spate" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sedate" and "spate" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sedate" or "spate"?
Remembering sedate vs spate
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “sedate”; for a noun, it's “spate”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sedate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable