appropriate

/əˈpɹəʊ.pɹi.eɪt/

//əˈpɹəʊ.pɹi.eɪt// verb

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

"appropriate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“appropriate” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,145. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,145
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To take to oneself; to claim or use, especially as by an exclusive right.

Corpus desk

Index EN-appropriate · appropriate · English

appropriate · rank #2,145 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,145
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH applied

Nearest frequency peer: applied (-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 “appropriate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “appropriate” 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).

appropriate vs appropriately
85% similar

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

Key facts for appropriate
PropertyValue
Headwordappropriate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɹəʊ.pɹi.eɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#2,145
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “appropriate” 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). appropriate lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around appropriate (IPA /əˈpɹəʊ.pɹi.eɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,145 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for appropriate, with forms such as "apporpriate", "appropirate", and "approppriate". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "appropriately", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English appropriaten, from appropriat (“appropriated”) + -en, borrowed from Latin appropriātus, perfect passive participle of appropriō (“to make one's own”), from ad (“to”) + propriō (“to make one's own”), from proprius (“one's own, private”) +… The correct English form is appropriate, spelled A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To take to oneself; to claim or use, especially as by an exclusive right.
  2. 2
    To set apart for, or assign to, a particular person or use, especially in exclusion of all others; with to or for.
  3. 3
    To annex (for example a benefice, to a spiritual corporation, as its property).
  4. 4
    To make suitable to; to suit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Let no man appropriate the use of a common benefit.
  2. "I promise you," said she, after a pause of some minutes, "to wear the last new dress you gave me, it is a triumph of taste!" Lord Marchmont bowed, and appropriated the compliment as if the taste had been his own, not the milliner's.

Etymology

From Middle English appropriaten, from appropriat (“appropriated”) + -en, borrowed from Latin appropriātus, perfect passive participle of appropriō (“to make one's own”), from ad (“to”) + propriō (“to make one's own”), from proprius (“one's own, private”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix).

Synonyms

help oneselfimpropriatetakestealallocateearmarkset apart

This word in other languages

adueñarse(Español)approprier(Français)anpassen(Deutsch)apropriar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apporpriate
  • appropirate
  • approppriate
  • appropraite
  • appropriaet
  • appropriatte
  • appropritae
  • approprriate
  • approrpiate
  • apprporiate
  • apprropriate
  • apropriate
  • aprpopriate
  • papropriate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apporpriate2appropirate2approppriate1appropraite2appropriaet2appropriatte1appropritae2approprriate1
Edit distance from "appropriate"

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 "appropriate"?
"appropriate" is spelled A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹəʊ.pɹi.eɪt/.
What does "appropriate" mean?
As a verb, "appropriate" means: To take to oneself; to claim or use, especially as by an exclusive right.
What words are commonly confused with "appropriate"?
"appropriate" is commonly confused with "appropriately". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appropriate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appropriate" is /əˈpɹəʊ.pɹi.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 "appropriate"?
From Middle English appropriaten, from appropriat (“appropriated”) + -en, borrowed from Latin appropriātus, perfect passive participle of appropriō (“to make one's own”), from ad (“to”) + propriō (“to make one's own”), from proprius (“one's own, p... 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 "appropriate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

comfortable#2,194considering#2,286communities#1,991alternative#1,981

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

confirmed14 variantssurprised14 variantsperformed14 variantsregarding14 variants

What to do next

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

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "appropriately". View pair
  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,145 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