adequate

/ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/

//ˈæd.ə.kwɪt// adj

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

"adequate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adequate” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,539. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,539
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Equal to or fulfilling some requirement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adequate · adequate · English

adequate · rank #6,539 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,539
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH accomplish

Nearest frequency peer: accomplish (-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 “adequate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “adequate” 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).

adequate vs adequately
80% similar
adequate vs adequacy
75% similar

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

Key facts for adequate
PropertyValue
Headwordadequate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,539
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adequate”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “accomplish” (#6,538), “alter” (#6,540), “yup” (#6,537). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adequate” is #6,539. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around adequate (IPA /ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,539 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Equal to or fulfilling some requirement.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for adequate, with forms such as "addequate", "adeqaute", and "adeqquate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "adequately", "adequacy", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin adaequātus, perfect passive participle of adaequō (“to make equal to”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from ad (“to, towards, at”) + aequō (“to make equal, equalize”), from aequus (“… The correct English form is adequate, spelled A-D-E-Q-U-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Equal to or fulfilling some requirement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. powers adequate to a great work
  2. an adequate definition

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin adaequātus, perfect passive participle of adaequō (“to make equal to”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from ad (“to, towards, at”) + aequō (“to make equal, equalize”), from aequus (“equal”). Cognate with French adéquat.

Synonyms

satisfactory

This word in other languages

adecuado(Español)adéquat(Français)angemessen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addequate
  • adeqaute
  • adeqquate
  • adequaet
  • adequatte
  • adequtae
  • adeuqate
  • adqeuate
  • aedquate
  • daequate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adequate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

addequate1adeqaute2adeqquate1adequaet2adequatte1adequtae2adeuqate2adqeuate2
Edit distance from "adequate"

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 "adequate"?
"adequate" is spelled A-D-E-Q-U-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/.
What does "adequate" mean?
As an adjective, "adequate" means: Equal to or fulfilling some requirement.
What words are commonly confused with "adequate"?
"adequate" is commonly confused with "adequately", "adequacy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adequate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adequate" is /ˈæd.ə.kwɪt/. 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 "adequate"?
Learned borrowing from Latin adaequātus, perfect passive participle of adaequō (“to make equal to”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from ad (“to, towards, at”) + aequō (“to make equal, equalize”), 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 "adequate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Arkansas#6,542traveled#6,533comeback#6,552revenues#6,514

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

apology10 variantsbowling10 variantsdeclare10 variantsobserve10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list