confederate
/kənˈfɛdəɹət/adjective, noun, verb
confederate is spelled C-O-N-F-E-D-E-R-A-T-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, confederate means “Of, relating to, or united in a confederacy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in confederate?
| Letters | 11: C-O-N-F-E-D-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.0 times per million words; the 11,198th 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 confederate?
Confederate appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th 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 confederate?
- /kənˈfɛdəɹət/
As a verb (“To unite persons or states in a league, confederacy or…”): /kənˈfɛdəɹeɪt/.
Confederate has 4 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-confederate.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-confederate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-confederate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of confederate
- more confederate comparative
- most confederate superlative
- confederates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- confederating participle, present
- confederated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does confederate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, relating to, or united in a confederacy
- 2
Banded together; allied.
- 3
archaicobsoleteConfederated.
noun
- 1
A member of a confederacy.
- 2
An accomplice in a plot.
- 3
An actor who participates in a psychological experiment pretending to be a subject but in actuality working for the researcher.
verb
- 1
To unite persons or states in a league, confederacy or conspiracy; to ally, league.
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to the Confederate States of America.
- 2
Of or relating to the political movement in favour of Confederation between Newfoundland and Canada.
- 3
Of or relating to Confederate Ireland or the Irish Confederate Wars.
noun
- 1
A citizen of the Confederate States of America.
- 2
A supporter of Confederation between Newfoundland and Canada.
- 3
A supporter of Irish Catholic self-rule during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Confederate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | confederado |
| French | confédéré, confédérée , confédérer |
| German | Konföderierter, Konföderierte |
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 confederate come from?
First attested in 1387, in Middle english; inherited from Middle English confederat(e) (“confederated, allied, associated in a plot; united or bound, as in friendship or troth”), borrowed from Late Latin cōnfoederātus perfect passive participle of cōnfoederō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English. By surface analysis, con- + federate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).