cultivate

/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/

//ˈkʌltɪveɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"cultivate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cultivate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,677. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,677
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To grow plants, notably crops.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cultivate · cultivate · English

cultivate · rank #16,677 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,677
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH CSS

Nearest frequency peer: CSS (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cultivate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cultivate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cultivate vs cultivated
90% similar
cultivate vs cultivar
78% similar
cultivate vs culminate
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cultivate
PropertyValue
Headwordcultivate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,677
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cultivate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cultivatelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “CSS” (#16,676), “cruises” (#16,675), “Cyril” (#16,679). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cultivate” is #16,677. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around cultivate (IPA /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,677 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for cultivate, with forms such as "ccultivate", "clutivate", and "culitvate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "cultivated", "cultivar", "culminate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from cultīvus (“tilled”), from Latin cultus, perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate”), which comes from earlie… The correct English form is cultivate, spelled C-U-L-T-I-V-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To grow plants, notably crops.
  2. 2
    To nurture; to foster; to tend.
  3. 3
    To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.
  2. So unhealthy is this valley, which is the home of large game, that whole kraals full of people who have tried to cultivate the rich land, have died in it of fever, or fled away leaving their crops unreaped.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from cultīvus (“tilled”), from Latin cultus, perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate”), which comes from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”). Cognates include Ancient Greek πέλω (pélō) and Sanskrit चरति (cárati). The same Proto-Indo-European root also gave Latin in-quil-īnus (“inhabitant”) and anculus (“servant”).

This word in other languages

cultivar(Español)cultiver(Français)kultivieren(Deutsch)plantar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccultivate
  • clutivate
  • culitvate
  • culltivate
  • cultiavte
  • cultivaet
  • cultivatte
  • cultivtae
  • cultivvate
  • culttivate
  • cultviate
  • cutlivate
  • ucltivate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cultivate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccultivate1clutivate2culitvate2culltivate1cultiavte2cultivaet2cultivatte1cultivtae2
Edit distance from "cultivate"

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 "cultivate"?
"cultivate" is spelled C-U-L-T-I-V-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/.
What does "cultivate" mean?
As a verb, "cultivate" means: To grow plants, notably crops.
What words are commonly confused with "cultivate"?
"cultivate" is commonly confused with "cultivated", "cultivar", "culminate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cultivate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cultivate" is /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/. 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 "cultivate"?
From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from cultīvus (“tilled”), from Latin cultus, perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate”), which comes f... 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 "cultivate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

continuum#16,670compliant#16,668Dickinson#16,691disparity#16,692

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

cowardly13 variantsbookstore13 variantsfarmhouse13 variantsannexation13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list