commissariat

/ˌkɑ.mɪˈsɛr.i.ət/

//ˌkɑ.mɪˈsɛr.i.ət// noun

"commissariat" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commissariat” is uncommon English (frequency #57,947 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,947
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A supply of food.

Corpus desk

Index EN-commissariat · commissariat · English

commissariat · rank #57,947 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,947
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH colonic

Nearest frequency peer: colonic (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “commissariat”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “commissariat” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for commissariat
PropertyValue
Headwordcommissariat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɑ.mɪˈsɛr.i.ət/
Letters12
Frequency rank#57,947
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “commissariat” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “colonic” (#57,946), “Colonia” (#57,945), “collate” (#57,944). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “commissariat” is #57,947. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

commissariat is uncommon English at frequency #57,947 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkɑ.mɪˈsɛr.i.ət/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

commissariat doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French commissariat. The correct English form is commissariat, spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-S-A-R-I-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A supply of food.
  2. 2
    The department of an army that supplies provisions for the troops.
  3. 3
    A department of the government of the Soviet Union in the early period of its existence.
  4. 4
    A territorial and governmental unit of Colombia at some points in its history.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. We gave such dinner-parties as our commissariat allowed; the menu was simplicity itself - " blanket " for every course, cunningly disguised as soup, entree, and, I was going to say, joint.

Etymology

Borrowed from French commissariat.

This word in other languages

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 "commissariat"?
"commissariat" is spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-S-A-R-I-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɑ.mɪˈsɛr.i.ət/.
What does "commissariat" mean?
As a noun, "commissariat" means: A supply of food.
How do you pronounce "commissariat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commissariat" is /ˌkɑ.mɪˈsɛr.i.ət/. 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 "commissariat"?
Borrowed from French commissariat. 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 "commissariat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list