berate

/bɪˈɹeɪt/

//bɪˈɹeɪt// verb

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

"berate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“berate” is uncommon English (frequency #56,614 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,614
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To chide or scold vehemently.

Corpus desk

Index EN-berate · berate · English

berate · rank #56,614 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,614
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Benjy

Nearest frequency peer: Benjy (-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 “berate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “berate” 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
Key facts for berate
PropertyValue
Headwordberate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈɹeɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#56,614
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “berate” 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).berate lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

berate is uncommon English at frequency #56,614 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈɹeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To chide or scold vehemently.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for berate, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From be- + rate (“to scold, upbraid”). The correct English form is berate, spelled B-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To chide or scold vehemently.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What society tells people that they can “do whatever they want” to dissidents, and yet berates anyone for treating them well?
  2. Gabord, still muttering, turned to us again, and began to berate the soldiers for their laziness.

Etymology

From be- + rate (“to scold, upbraid”).

This word in other languages

reprender(Español)réprimander(Français)ausschelten(Deutsch)repreender(Português)

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 "berate"?
"berate" is spelled B-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈɹeɪt/.
What does "berate" mean?
As a verb, "berate" means: To chide or scold vehemently.
How do you pronounce "berate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "berate" is /bɪˈɹeɪt/. 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 "berate"?
From be- + rate (“to scold, upbraid”). 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 "berate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Brigid#56,633Charon#56,660codecs#56,671colter#56,673

What to do next

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

  • Usage frequency rank #56,614 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–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