castigate
/ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/
"castigate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“castigate” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To punish or reprimand someone severely.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | castigate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “castigate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for castigate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for castigate, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the beginnin of the 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin castīgātus, perfect passive participle of castīgō (“to reprove”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from castus (“pure, chaste”), from Proto-Indo-Euro… The correct English form is castigate, spelled C-A-S-T-I-G-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To punish or reprimand someone severely.
- 2To execrate or condemn something in a harsh manner, especially by public criticism.
- 3To revise or make corrections to a publication.
Etymology
First attested in the beginnin of the 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin castīgātus, perfect passive participle of castīgō (“to reprove”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from castus (“pure, chaste”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱes- (“to cut”). Doublet of chastise and chasten, taken through Old French. See also chaste.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “castigate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-S-T-I-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.