authenticate
/ɔˈθɛn.tɪ.keɪt/verb, adjective
authenticate is spelled A-U-T-H-E-N-T-I-C-A-T-E: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, authenticate means “To render authentic; to give authority to, by the proof, attestation, or formalities required by law, or sufficient to entitle to credit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in authenticate?
| Letters | 12: A-U-T-H-E-N-T-I-C-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,703rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is authenticate?
Authenticate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce authenticate?
- UK /ɒˈθɛn.tɪ.keɪt/
- US /ɔˈθɛn.tɪ.keɪt/
- /ɑˈθɛn.tɪ.keɪt/
Authenticate has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-authenticate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of authenticate
- authenticates present, singular, he/she/it
- authenticating participle, present
- authenticated participle, past
- more authenticate comparative
- most authenticate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does authenticate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To render authentic; to give authority to, by the proof, attestation, or formalities required by law, or sufficient to entitle to credit.
- 2
To prove authentic; to determine as real and true.
He didn’t manage to authenticate the portrait: it’s probably a fake.
adjective
- 1
Synonym of authentic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Authenticate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | authentifizieren, ausweisen , beglaubigen |
| Portuguese | autenticar |
| Spanish | autentificar, autenticar |
| French | authentifier |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does authenticate come from?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin authenticō. By surface analysis, authentic + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).