Which to use
“spate” and “spite” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,701
- “spate” frequency rank
- #6,741
- “spite” frequency rank
- 44442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spate | spite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the desire to unjustifiably irritate, annoy, or thwart; a want to disturb or put out another; mild malice |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spate and spite apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
spate and spite form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - a in “spate” becomes i in “spite” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spate is recorded at frequency rank #37,701, classified as anoun, pronounced /speɪt/. spite is at rank #6,741, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spaɪt/.
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 44442, this pair ranks #230,539 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spate" and "spite" be used interchangeably?
Remembering spate vs spite
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable