accelerate

/əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/

//əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"accelerate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accelerate” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,829. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,829
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accelerate · accelerate · English

accelerate · rank #11,829 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,829
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH absorption

Nearest frequency peer: absorption (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “accelerate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “accelerate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

accelerate vs accelerated
91% similar
accelerate vs accelerator
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for accelerate
PropertyValue
Headwordaccelerate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#11,829
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “accelerate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).acceleratelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “absorption” (#11,828), “acne” (#11,830), “Abdul” (#11,827). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “accelerate” is #11,829. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around accelerate (IPA /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #11,829 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for accelerate, with forms such as "acceelrate", "accelearte", and "acceleraet". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "accelerated", "accelerator", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 1520s. Either from Latin accelerātus, perfect passive participle of accelerō (“to accelerate, hasten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), formed from ad + celerō (“to hasten”), which is from celer (“q… The correct English form is accelerate, spelled A-C-C-E-L-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
  2. 2
    To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of.
  3. 3
    To cause a change of velocity.
  4. 4
    To hasten, as the occurrence of an event.
  5. 5
    To enable a student to finish a course of study in less than normal time.
  6. 6
    To become faster; to begin to move more quickly.
  7. 7
    Grow; increase.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how accelerate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc.
  2. The company plans to accelerate its growth with new marketing strategies.

Etymology

First attested in the 1520s. Either from Latin accelerātus, perfect passive participle of accelerō (“to accelerate, hasten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), formed from ad + celerō (“to hasten”), which is from celer (“quick”) (see celerity), or back-formation from acceleration.

Synonyms

hastenquickenspeed upexpeditefurtheradvanceforward

Antonyms

decelerateretardunaccelerate

This word in other languages

acelerar(Español)accélérer(Français)beschleunigen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acceelrate
  • accelearte
  • acceleraet
  • acceleratte
  • accelerrate
  • accelertae
  • accellerate
  • accelreate
  • accleerate
  • aceclerate
  • acelerate
  • cacelerate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accelerate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acceelrate2accelearte2acceleraet2acceleratte1accelerrate1accelertae2accellerate1accelreate2
Edit distance from "accelerate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "accelerate"?
"accelerate" is spelled A-C-C-E-L-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/.
What does "accelerate" mean?
As a verb, "accelerate" means: To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of.
What words are commonly confused with "accelerate"?
"accelerate" is commonly confused with "accelerated", "accelerator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accelerate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accelerate" is /əkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "accelerate"?
First attested in the 1520s. Either from Latin accelerātus, perfect passive participle of accelerō (“to accelerate, hasten”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), formed from ad + celerō (“to hasten”), which is from... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "accelerate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

absorption#11,828blockchain#11,843translator#11,812collateral#11,853

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Courtney12 variantscrossover12 variantscurtains12 variantsdictator12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list