castigate
/ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/
"castigate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“castigate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To punish or reprimand someone severely.
Corpus desk
Index EN-castigate · castigate · English
castigate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “castigate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
castigate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how castigate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Perhaps disarmed by his own scandalous behaviour with Bathsheba, he was in no position to castigate his son for a similar fault.
God doth indurate, when hee doth not by and by caſtigate a ſynner.
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.