circumnavigate
/ˌsɝ.kəmˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/verb
circumnavigate is spelled C-I-R-C-U-M-N-A-V-I-G-A-T-E: 14 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,884th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, circumnavigate means “To travel completely around somewhere or something (especially the Globe), especially by sail” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in circumnavigate?
| Letters | 14: C-I-R-C-U-M-N-A-V-I-G-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 69,884th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is circumnavigate?
Circumnavigate appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,884th 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 circumnavigate?
- UK /ˌsə.kəmˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/
- US /ˌsɝ.kəmˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/
Circumnavigate has 5 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-circumnavigate.ogg, En-au-circumnavigate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with circumnavigate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as circumnavigate from its last stressed vowel (/ævɪɡeɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of circumnavigate
- circumnavigates present, singular, he/she/it
- circumnavigating participle, present
- circumnavigated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does circumnavigate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To travel completely around somewhere or something (especially the Globe), especially by sail.
We circumnavigated the Mediterranean.
- 2
To circumvent or bypass.
- 3
To sail around the world.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Circumnavigate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | circumnaviguer |
| German | umsegeln, umschiffen, umfahren , umgehen , die Welt umsegeln |
| Portuguese | circum-navegar |
| Spanish | circunnavegar, bojar, bojear |
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 circumnavigate come from?
Borrowed from Latin circumnāvigātus, perfect passive participle of circumnāvigō (“sail round something, circumnavigate”), from circum (“about, around”) + nāvigō (“sail, navigate”), from nāvis (“ship”) + agō (“do”). By surface analysis, circum- + navigate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).