calibrate
/ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/
"calibrate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“calibrate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,362. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #37,362
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To check or adjust by comparison with a standard.
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 | calibrate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #37,362 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “calibrate” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 13 spelling variants around calibrate (IPA /ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #37,362 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for calibrate, with forms such as "aclibrate", "cailbrate", and "calbirate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "calibre", "celibate", "celebrate", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From caliber or calibre + -ate. The correct English form is calibrate, spelled C-A-L-I-B-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To check or adjust by comparison with a standard.
- 2To mark the scale of a measuring instrument.
- 3To measure the caliber of a tube or gun.
Etymology
From caliber or calibre + -ate.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- aclibrate
- cailbrate
- calbirate
- calibarte
- calibbrate
- calibraet
- calibratte
- calibrrate
- calibrtae
- calirbate
- callibrate
- ccalibrate
- claibrate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of calibrate - 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.
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
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Using “calibrate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-I-B-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “calibre” - see the side-by-side comparison. calibrate vs calibre
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
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.