# spate vs spine

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### spate
*noun · IPA /speɪt/ · frequency rank #37,701*
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.

### spine
*noun · IPA /spaɪn/ · frequency rank #7,983*
A series of bones situated at the back from the head to the pelvis of a human, or from the head to the tail of an animal, enclosing the spinal cord and providing support for the thorax and abdomen.

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