animate

/ˈæn.ɪ.mət/

//ˈæn.ɪ.mət// adj

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

"animate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“animate” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,082. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,082
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That lives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-animate · animate · English

animate · rank #24,082 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,082
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Andres

Nearest frequency peer: Andres (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “animate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “animate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

animate vs animated
88% similar
animate vs animator
75% similar
animate vs anima
71% similar

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

Key facts for animate
PropertyValue
Headwordanimate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæn.ɪ.mət/
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,082
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “animate” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).animate lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around animate (IPA /ˈæn.ɪ.mət/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #24,082 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for animate, with forms such as "ainmate", "aniamte", and "animaet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "animated", "animator", "anima", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adj… The correct English form is animate, spelled A-N-I-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    That lives.
  2. 2
    Possessing the quality or ability of motion.
  3. 3
    Dynamic, energetic.
  4. 4
    having a referent that is considered alive (this generally includes humans, animals and deities, sometimes also plants, spirits, etc.)
  5. 5
    Inflected to agree with an animate noun or pronoun.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She is an engaging and animate speaker.
  2. Nouns can be singular or plural, and one of two genders, animate or inanimate.

Etymology

From Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

animado(Español)animé(Français)lebendig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ainmate
  • aniamte
  • animaet
  • animatte
  • animmate
  • animtae
  • anmiate
  • annimate
  • naimate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of animate - 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.

ainmate2aniamte2animaet2animatte1animmate1animtae2anmiate2annimate1
Edit distance from "animate"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "animate"?
"animate" is spelled A-N-I-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæn.ɪ.mət/.
What does "animate" mean?
As an adjective, "animate" means: That lives.
What words are commonly confused with "animate"?
"animate" is commonly confused with "animated", "animator", "anima". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "animate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "animate" is /ˈæn.ɪ.mət/. 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 "animate"?
From Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives fr... 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 "animate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

accrued#24,074Branson#24,099bugging#24,101bullish#24,102

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

arming9 variantszenith9 variantscantor9 variantsCarney9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "animate". Here's where to go from here.

  • "animate" maps to 6 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "animated". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #24,082 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list