curate
/ˈkjʊɹɪt/noun, verb
curate is spelled C-U-R-A-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, curate means “An assistant rector or vicar” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of curate is curates.
How many letters and syllables are in curate?
| Letters | 6: C-U-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,820th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is curate?
Curate appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th 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 curate?
- UK /ˈkjʊəɹət/
- UK /-ɹɪt/
- US /ˈkjʊɹɪt/
As a verb (“To act as a curator for”): /kjʊəˈɹeɪt/, /kjʊˈɹeɪt/, /ˈkjʊɹeɪt/.
Curate has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-curate_(noun).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-curate_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with curate?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as curate (/ʊɹɪt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cauter.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of curate
- curates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- curating participle, present
- curated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does curate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An assistant rector or vicar.
- 2
A parish priest.
- 3
IrelandAn assistant barman.
- 4
An oxyanion of curium; any salt containing such an anion.
verb
- 1
To act as a curator for.
She curated the traveling exhibition.
- 2
To apply selectivity and taste to, as a collection of fashion items or web pages.
- 3
To work or act as a curator.
Not only does he curate for the museum, he manages the office and fund-raises.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Curate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vicaire , curé |
| German | Vikar , Pfarrer |
| Portuguese | vicário, vigário , pároco , selecionar |
| Spanish | vicario , padre, cura, párroco , comisariar |
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 curate come from?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin cūrātus (“one who has been curated, a curate”), a substantivation of the perfect passive participle of cūrō. Doublet of curato. Equivalent to cure + -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).