celebrate
/ˈsɛl.ə.bɹeɪt/verb
celebrate is spelled C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, celebrate means “To extol or honour in a solemn manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in celebrate?
| Letters | 9: C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 31 times per million words; the 3,052nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is celebrate?
Celebrate appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd 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 celebrate?
- UK /ˈsɛl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/
- US /ˈsɛl.ə.bɹeɪt/
- Australia /ˈsel.ə.bɹæɪt/
Celebrate has 3 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: En-us-celebrate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of celebrate
- celebrates present, singular, he/she/it
- celebrating participle, present
- celebrated participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does celebrate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To extol or honour in a solemn manner.
to celebrate the name of the Most High
- 2
To honour by rites, by ceremonies of joy and respect, or by refraining from ordinary business; to observe duly.
to celebrate a birthday
- 3
To engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event.
I was promoted today at work–let’s celebrate!
- 4
To perform or participate in, as a sacrament or solemn rite; to perform with appropriate rites.
to celebrate a marriage
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Celebrate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rendre hommage, célébrer , fêter , faire la fête |
| German | feiern, zelebrieren , halten |
| Portuguese | celebrar , festejar |
| Spanish | honrar, loar, alabar , celebrar , festejar |
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 celebrate come from?
From Middle English celebraten, from celebrat(e) (“celebrated”, also used as the past participle of celebraten) + -en, borrowed from Latin celebrātus, perfect passive participle of celebrō (“frequent, go to in great numbers, celebrate, honor, praise”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from celeber (“frequented, populous”). Displaced native Old English fæġnian and frēolsian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).