commemorate

/kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/

//kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"commemorate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commemorate” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,134. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,134
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony or object.

Corpus desk

Index EN-commemorate · commemorate · English

commemorate · rank #15,134 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #15,134
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH commits

Nearest frequency peer: commits (+1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “commemorate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “commemorate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

commemorate vs commemorative
85% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for commemorate
PropertyValue
Headwordcommemorate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#15,134
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “commemorate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).commemoratelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “commits” (#15,135), “coincide” (#15,132), “concurrent” (#15,136). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “commemorate” is #15,134. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around commemorate (IPA /kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #15,134 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for commemorate, with forms such as "ccommemorate", "cmomemorate", and "comemmorate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "commemorative", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin commemorātus, perfect passive participle of commemorō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Sporadic usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English. The correct English form is commemorate, spelled C-O-M-M-E-M-O-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony or object.
  2. 2
    To serve as a memorial to someone or something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how commemorate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. On November 11th we commemorate the fallen with a march.
  2. On the anniversary of Korczak's murder, Israel commemorated him with a special postal issue. As a stamp collector and philatelic columnist, it pleased me greatly when other countries followed Israel's example in honoring him.

Etymology

First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin commemorātus, perfect passive participle of commemorō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Sporadic usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

This word in other languages

conmemorar(Español)commémorer(Français)gedenken(Deutsch)comemorar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccommemorate
  • cmomemorate
  • comemmorate
  • comemorate
  • commemmorate
  • commemoarte
  • commemoraet
  • commemoratte
  • commemorrate
  • commemortae
  • commemroate
  • commeomrate
  • commmeorate
  • ocmmemorate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of commemorate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccommemorate1cmomemorate2comemmorate2comemorate1commemmorate1commemoarte2commemoraet2commemoratte1
Edit distance from "commemorate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "commemorate"?
"commemorate" is spelled C-O-M-M-E-M-O-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/.
What does "commemorate" mean?
As a verb, "commemorate" means: To honour the memory of someone or something with a ceremony or object.
What words are commonly confused with "commemorate"?
"commemorate" is commonly confused with "commemorative". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "commemorate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commemorate" is /kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "commemorate"?
First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin commemorātus, perfect passive participle of commemorō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Sporadic usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "commemorate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enlightened#15,159fingerprint#15,168utilization#15,081interchange#15,198

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

concurrent14 variantsceremonial14 variantsfisherman14 variantsforgiving14 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list