cremate

/ˈkɹimeɪt/

//ˈkɹimeɪt// verb

"cremate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cremate” is uncommon English (frequency #82,200 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,200
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To burn something to ashes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cremate · cremate · English

cremate · rank #82,200 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,200
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH creepypasta

Nearest frequency peer: creepypasta (-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 “cremate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cremate
PropertyValue
Headwordcremate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkɹimeɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#82,200
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cremate” 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).crematefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “creepypasta” (#82,199), “crawlies” (#82,198), “Crom” (#82,202). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cremate” is #82,200. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cremate is uncommon English at frequency #82,200 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkɹimeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for cremate in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1889; borrowed from Latin cremātus, perfect passive participle of cremō (“to burn to ashes; to cremate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is cremate, spelled C-R-E-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To burn something to ashes.
  2. 2
    To incinerate a dead body (as an alternative to burial).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I want to be cremated when I die.
  2. “You didn’t bury Dad. You burned him.” “We cremated him, Benny. For humans, the word is cremated. And we chose to do that because that’s what they do in Japan.”

Etymology

First attested in 1889; borrowed from Latin cremātus, perfect passive participle of cremō (“to burn to ashes; to cremate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

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 "cremate"?
"cremate" is spelled C-R-E-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹimeɪt/.
What does "cremate" mean?
As a verb, "cremate" means: To burn something to ashes.
How do you pronounce "cremate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cremate" is /ˈkɹimeɪt/. 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 "cremate"?
First attested in 1889; borrowed from Latin cremātus, perfect passive participle of cremō (“to burn to ashes; to cremate”), 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cremate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list