appreciate

/əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt/

//əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt// verb

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

The verdict

“appreciate” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,852 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,852
frequency rank, English
10
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be grateful or thankful for.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

appreciate vs appreciative
83% similar
appreciate vs appreciable
82% similar

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

Key facts for appreciate
PropertyValue
Headwordappreciate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,852
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “appreciate” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for appreciate is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,852 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for appreciate, with forms such as "apperciate", "apprceiate", and "apprecaite". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "appreciative", "appreciable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Originated 1645–55; from Medieval Latin appreciātus (“valued or appraised”), later variant of Late Latin appretiātus (“appraised”), the perfect passive participle of appretiō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from a(d) (“toward”) + preti(um) (“price”) + -ō … The correct English form is appreciate, spelled A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be grateful or thankful for.
  2. 2
    To view as valuable.
  3. 3
    To be fully conscious of; understand; be aware of; detect.
  4. 4
    To increase in value.

Etymology

Originated 1645–55; from Medieval Latin appreciātus (“valued or appraised”), later variant of Late Latin appretiātus (“appraised”), the perfect passive participle of appretiō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from a(d) (“toward”) + preti(um) (“price”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix). Cognate to French apprécier. Latin root also origin of English appraise, which has various Romance cognates; see also precious.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apperciate,apprceiate,apprecaite,apprecciate,appreciaet,appreciatte,apprecitae,appreicate,apprreciate,apreciate,aprpeciate,papreciate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apperciate2apprceiate2apprecaite2apprecciate1appreciaet2appreciatte1apprecitae2appreicate2
Edit distance from "appreciate"

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 "appreciate"?
"appreciate" is spelled A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt/.
What does "appreciate" mean?
As a verb, "appreciate" means: To be grateful or thankful for.
What words are commonly confused with "appreciate"?
"appreciate" is commonly confused with "appreciative", "appreciable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appreciate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appreciate" is /əˈpɹiː.ʃi.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 "appreciate"?
Originated 1645–55; from Medieval Latin appreciātus (“valued or appraised”), later variant of Late Latin appretiātus (“appraised”), the perfect passive participle of appretiō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from a(d) (“toward”) + preti(um) (“pri... 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.

Using “appreciate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “appreciative” - see the side-by-side comparison. appreciate vs appreciative
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list