commiserate

/kəˈmɪzəɹət/

//kəˈmɪzəɹət// adj

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

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

The verdict

“commiserate” is uncommon English (frequency #73,970 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,970
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Commiserating, pitying, lamentful.

Key facts for commiserate
PropertyValue
Headwordcommiserate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kəˈmɪzəɹət/
Letters11
Frequency rank#73,970
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “commiserate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). commiserate lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

commiserate is uncommon English at frequency #73,970 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kəˈmɪzəɹət/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Commiserating, pitying, lamentful.".

Zero misspellings are on record for commiserate in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From commiserātus, the perfect passive participle of commiseror. The correct English form is commiserate, spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Commiserating, pitying, lamentful.

Etymology

From commiserātus, the perfect passive participle of commiseror.

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 "commiserate"?
"commiserate" is spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɪzəɹət/.
What does "commiserate" mean?
As an adjective, "commiserate" means: Commiserating, pitying, lamentful.
How do you pronounce "commiserate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commiserate" is /kəˈmɪzəɹət/. 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 "commiserate"?
From commiserātus, the perfect passive participle of commiseror. 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.

Using “commiserate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-M-I-S-E-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəˈmɪzəɹət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list