# vibrate vs vibrato

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### vibrate
*verb · IPA /vaɪˈbɹeɪt/ · frequency rank #27,020*
To shake with small, rapid movements to and fro.

### vibrato
*noun · IPA /vɪˈbɹɑːtoʊ/ · frequency rank #49,709*
The musical effect or technique where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound.

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