corrugate
/ˈkɒɹ.ʊˌɡeɪt/
"corrugate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“corrugate” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To wrinkle (the skin).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | corrugate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈkɒɹ.ʊˌɡeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “corrugate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for corrugate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒɹ.ʊˌɡeɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
corrugate has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is first attested in 1620, the adjective in 1745; borrowed from Latin corrūgātus, perfect passive participle of Latin corrūgō (“to wrinkle, corrugate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from con- + rūga (“wrinkle… The correct English form is corrugate, spelled C-O-R-R-U-G-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To wrinkle (the skin).
- 2To fold into parallel folds, grooves or ridges.
Etymology
The verb is first attested in 1620, the adjective in 1745; borrowed from Latin corrūgātus, perfect passive participle of Latin corrūgō (“to wrinkle, corrugate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from con- + rūga (“wrinkle, crease”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with Spanish acurrucar (“to snuggle; to curl up due to cold; to huddle”).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “corrugate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-R-U-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒɹ.ʊˌɡeɪt/ (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
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.