conflagrate

/ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt/

//ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt// verb

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

The verdict

“conflagrate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To catch fire.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conflagrate · conflagrate · English

conflagrate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for conflagrate
PropertyValue
Headwordconflagrate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “conflagrate” in English

conflagratefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

conflagrate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

conflagrate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1657; borrowed from Latin cōnflāgrātus, perfect passive participial of cōnflāgrō (“to be consumed by fire; (rare) to set aflame”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is conflagrate, spelled C-O-N-F-L-A-G-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To catch fire.
  2. 2
    To set fire to something.

Etymology

First attested in 1657; borrowed from Latin cōnflāgrātus, perfect passive participial of cōnflāgrō (“to be consumed by fire; (rare) to set aflame”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "conflagrate"?
"conflagrate" is spelled C-O-N-F-L-A-G-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt/.
What does "conflagrate" mean?
As a verb, "conflagrate" means: To catch fire.
How do you pronounce "conflagrate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conflagrate" is /ˈkɑn.flə.ɡreɪt/. 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 "conflagrate"?
First attested in 1657; borrowed from Latin cōnflāgrātus, perfect passive participial of cōnflāgrō (“to be consumed by fire; (rare) to set aflame”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list