ate
/eɪt/
"ate" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ate” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #3,999) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.
- #3,999
- frequency rank, English
- 3,931
- “A” headwords
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of eat
Corpus desk
Index EN-ate · ate · English
ate · rank #3,999 · 0 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #3,999
- LEN-MID 3 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,931
- PHOTO-FINISH asshole
Nearest frequency peer: asshole (-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 “ate”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- absence
absence
96,005 corpus weight
- agricultural
agricultural
96,004 corpus weight
- asshole
asshole
96,003 corpus weight
- ate
ate
96,002 corpus weight
- bears
bears
96,000 corpus weight
- blues
blues
95,999 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “ate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /eɪt/ |
| Letters | 3 |
| Frequency rank | #3,999 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ate” sits in English frequency
Easy to mix with look-alikes
The spelling risk for ate is neighbouring look-alikes ("aw", "AU", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /eɪt/. Frequency #3,999 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ate, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "aw", "AU", "AZ", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably a remodelling of earlier eat by analogy with other strong verbs such as break:†brake, give:gave, speak:†spake; compare the same process in rare Middle English at (“ate”) besides more usual et. However, the pronunciation /ɛt/ likely continues Middle… The correct English form is ate, spelled A-T-E.
Definition
- 1simple past of eat
- 2past participle of eat
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how ate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I have a very good appetite, have ate some excellent melons, and they have served me up some quails, the fattest and tenderest I have ever ate.
As soon as all had ate, and the elder ones paid, the carriage was ordered; […]
Etymology
Probably a remodelling of earlier eat by analogy with other strong verbs such as break:†brake, give:gave, speak:†spake; compare the same process in rare Middle English at (“ate”) besides more usual et. However, the pronunciation /ɛt/ likely continues Middle English et, from Old English ǣt, from Proto-West Germanic *āt, from Proto-Germanic *ēt, with shortening as in e.g. thread.
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 "ate"?
What does "ate" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "ate"?
How do you pronounce "ate"?
What is the origin of the word "ate"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ate", not the corpus desk frequency band.
What to do next
You've looked up "ate". Here's where to go from here.
- "ate" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "aw". View pair
- Usage frequency rank #3,999 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.