adulterate
/əˈdʌltəɹət/
"adulterate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“adulterate” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Corrupted or made impure by being mixed with something else; adulterated.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | adulterate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /əˈdʌltəɹət/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “adulterate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for adulterate is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈdʌltəɹət/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
adulterate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin adulterātus (“adulterate, adulterated, defiled, polluted, counterfeited”), perfect passive participle of adulterō (“to adulterate, defile, commit adultery (with), counterfeit”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, in the directio… The correct English form is adulterate, spelled A-D-U-L-T-E-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Corrupted or made impure by being mixed with something else; adulterated.
- 2Tending to commit adultery; relating to or being the product of adultery; adulterous.
Etymology
From Latin adulterātus (“adulterate, adulterated, defiled, polluted, counterfeited”), perfect passive participle of adulterō (“to adulterate, defile, commit adultery (with), counterfeit”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, in the direction of”) + alter (“other”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), literally “to go after someone else”. Equivalent to adultery + -ate.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "adulterate"?
What does "adulterate" mean?
How do you pronounce "adulterate"?
What is the origin of the word "adulterate"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “adulterate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-U-L-T-E-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈdʌltəɹət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.