accentuate

/əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/

//əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“accentuate” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,704. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,704
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accentuate · accentuate · English

accentuate · rank #38,704 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,704
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH abb

Nearest frequency peer: abb (-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 “accentuate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “accentuate” 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
Key facts for accentuate
PropertyValue
Headwordaccentuate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#38,704
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “accentuate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).accentuatelands 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 “abb” (#38,703), “ADF” (#38,705), “adipose” (#38,706). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “accentuate” is #38,704. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around accentuate (IPA /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #38,704 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for accentuate, with forms such as "accenntuate", "accentaute", and "accenttuate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1731; borrowed from Medieval Latin accentuātus, perfect passive participle of accentuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin accentus. The correct English form is accentuate, spelled A-C-C-E-N-T-U-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.
  2. 2
    To bring out distinctly; to make more noticeable or prominent; to emphasize.
  3. 3
    To mark with a written accent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. our danger and insolation only accentuated the incompatibility
  2. These were business hours, and a feeling of loneliness crept over him, perhaps germinated by his sight of the illustrated papers, and accentuated by an attempted perusal of them.

Etymology

First attested in 1731; borrowed from Medieval Latin accentuātus, perfect passive participle of accentuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin accentus.

Synonyms

accentbetone

This word in other languages

acentuar(Español)accentuer(Français)akzentuieren(Deutsch)acentuar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accenntuate
  • accentaute
  • accenttuate
  • accentuaet
  • accentuatte
  • accentutae
  • accenutate
  • accetnuate
  • accnetuate
  • acecntuate
  • acentuate
  • cacentuate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of accentuate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

accenntuate1accentaute2accenttuate1accentuaet2accentuatte1accentutae2accenutate2accetnuate2
Edit distance from "accentuate"

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 "accentuate"?
"accentuate" is spelled A-C-C-E-N-T-U-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/.
What does "accentuate" mean?
As a verb, "accentuate" means: To pronounce with an accent or vocal stress.
What are common misspellings of "accentuate"?
Common misspellings include "accenntuate", "accentaute", "accenttuate", "accentuaet", "accentuatte". The correct spelling is "accentuate".
How do you pronounce "accentuate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accentuate" is /əkˈsɛn.t͡ʃu.eɪt/. 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 "accentuate"?
First attested in 1731; borrowed from Medieval Latin accentuātus, perfect passive participle of accentuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin accentus. 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 "accentuate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

aggregator#38,712waterworks#38,682apostrophe#38,728upstanding#38,671

Similar misspelling depth

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

Amazonian12 variantsvoracious12 variantsvertebra12 variantstweezers12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list