circulate
/ˈsɝ.kjʊˌleɪt/verb
circulate is spelled C-I-R-C-U-L-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, circulate means “To move in circles or through a circuit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in circulate?
| Letters | 9: C-I-R-C-U-L-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 23,253rd 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 circulate?
Circulate appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd 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 circulate?
- UK /ˈsɜː.kjʊˌleɪt/
- US /ˈsɝ.kjʊˌleɪt/
Circulate 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-circulate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of circulate
- circulates present, singular, he/she/it
- circulating participle, present
- circulated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does circulate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move in circles or through a circuit.
- 2
To cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit.
- 3
To move from person to person, as at a party.
- 4
To spread or disseminate.
to circulate money or gossip
- 5
To become widely known.
- 6
Of decimals: to repeat.
a circulating decimal
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Circulate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to move in circles:
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 circulate come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin circulātus, perfect passive participle of Late Latin circulō (“to make circular, encircle”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), a later collateral form of circulor (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), from circulus (“a circle”). See also Middle English circulat(e) (“(alchemy) changed by continuous distillation in a closed vessel”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).