compensate
/ˈkɑm.pənˌseɪt/verb
compensate is spelled C-O-M-P-E-N-S-A-T-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, compensate means “To do (something good) after (something bad) happens” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in compensate?
| Letters | 10: C-O-M-P-E-N-S-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.0 times per million words; the 9,878th 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 compensate?
Compensate appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th 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 compensate?
- UK /ˈkɒm.pən.seɪt/
- UK /ˈkɒm.pɛn.seɪt/
- US /ˈkɑm.pənˌseɪt/
Compensate 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-compensate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of compensate
- compensates present, singular, he/she/it
- compensating participle, present
- compensated participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does compensate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To do (something good) after (something bad) happens.
- 2
To pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration.
It is hard work, but they will compensate you well for it.
- 3
To make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct, satisfy; to reach an agreement such that the scales are literally or (metaphorically) balanced; to equalize or make even.
His loud voice cannot compensate for a lack of personality.
- 4
To adjust or adapt to a change, often a harm or deprivation.
I hate that old car because it steers a little to the left and I'm always compensating for that when I drive it.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Compensate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | kompensieren, ausgleichen, wiedergutmachen , aufwiegen , eine Kompensation zahlen |
| Spanish | compensar |
| Portuguese | compensar, recompensar, pagar |
| French | compenser |
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 compensate come from?
Borrowed from Latin compēnsātus, perfect passive participle of compensō (“to weight together one thing against another, balance, make good”), -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).