assassinate

/əˈsæsɪneɪt/

//əˈsæsɪneɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“assassinate” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,293. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,293
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.

Corpus desk

Index EN-assassinate · assassinate · English

assassinate · rank #22,293 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,293
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH arisen

Nearest frequency peer: arisen (-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 “assassinate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “assassinate” 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
Key facts for assassinate
PropertyValue
Headwordassassinate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈsæsɪneɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#22,293
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “assassinate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).assassinatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “arisen” (#22,292), “asteroids” (#22,294), “aptitude” (#22,291). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “assassinate” is #22,293. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around assassinate (IPA /əˈsæsɪneɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,293 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for assassinate, with forms such as "asassinate", "asasssinate", and "assasinate". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From assassin + -ate, after Middle French assassiner. The correct English form is assassinate, spelled A-S-S-A-S-S-I-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
  2. 2
    To harm, ruin, or defame severely or destroy by treachery, slander, libel, or obscure attack.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Assassines, a nation depending of Phœnicia, are esteemed among the Mahometists[…]. And thus was our Earle Raymond of Tripoli murthered or assassinated (this word is borrowed from their name) in the middest of his Citie, during the time of our warres in the holy land[…].
  2. He assassinated his rival's character.

Etymology

From assassin + -ate, after Middle French assassiner.

This word in other languages

asesinar(Español)assassiner(Français)ermorden(Deutsch)assassinar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asassinate
  • asasssinate
  • assasinate
  • assasisnate
  • assassiante
  • assassinaet
  • assassinatte
  • assassinnate
  • assassintae
  • assassniate
  • asssasinate
  • sasassinate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of assassinate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

asassinate1asasssinate2assasinate1assasisnate2assassiante2assassinaet2assassinatte1assassinnate1
Edit distance from "assassinate"

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 "assassinate"?
"assassinate" is spelled A-S-S-A-S-S-I-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈsæsɪneɪt/.
What does "assassinate" mean?
As a verb, "assassinate" means: To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
What are common misspellings of "assassinate"?
Common misspellings include "asassinate", "asasssinate", "assasinate", "assasisnate", "assassiante". The correct spelling is "assassinate".
How do you pronounce "assassinate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "assassinate" is /əˈsæsɪneɪt/. 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 "assassinate"?
From assassin + -ate, after Middle French assassiner. 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 "assassinate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cauliflower#22,314Christensen#22,323unfavorable#22,257translucent#22,252

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

backside12 variantsyellowish12 variantswoodwork12 variantschainsaw12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list