berate
/bɪˈɹeɪt/verb
berate is spelled B-E-R-A-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, berate means “To chide or scold vehemently” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in berate?
| Letters | 6: B-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,788th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is berate?
Berate appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th 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 berate?
- /bɪˈɹeɪt/
Berate has 2 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-berate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with berate?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as berate.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rebate, beater.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of berate
- berates present, singular, he/she/it
- berating participle, present
- berated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does berate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To chide or scold vehemently.
What society tells people that they can “do whatever they want” to dissidents, and yet berates anyone for treating them well?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Berate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense chide vehemently:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réprimander, admonester, fustiger, reprendre, blâmer, vilipender |
| German | ausschelten, ausschimpfen, beschimpfen, schelten |
| Portuguese | repreender, admoestar |
| Spanish | reprender, vituperar, reprehender, amonestar, reñir |
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 berate come from?
From be- + rate (“to scold, upbraid”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).