denigrate

/ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t/

//ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t// verb

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

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

The verdict

“denigrate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,572. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,572
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To criticize so as to besmirch; traduce, disparage or defame.

Corpus desk

Index EN-denigrate · denigrate · English

denigrate · rank #47,572 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #47,572
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dennison

Nearest frequency peer: Dennison (+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 “denigrate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “denigrate” 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).

denigrate vs designate
78% similar

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

Key facts for denigrate
PropertyValue
Headworddenigrate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t/
Letters9
Frequency rank#47,572
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “denigrate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).denigratelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Dennison” (#47,573), “Derrida” (#47,574), “despatches” (#47,575). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “denigrate” is #47,572. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around denigrate (IPA /ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t/), averb. Corpus frequency is #47,572 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for denigrate, with forms such as "ddenigrate", "deingrate", and "dengirate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "designate", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Latin dēnigrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēnigrō (“to blacken”) [see -ate (verb-forming suffix)], from dē- (“of; from”) + nigrō (“to blacken”) [from niger (“black”)]. Cognate with Middle English denigart(e) (“darkened, discolored”). The correct English form is denigrate, spelled D-E-N-I-G-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To criticize so as to besmirch; traduce, disparage or defame.
  2. 2
    To treat as worthless; belittle, degrade or disparage.
  3. 3
    To blacken.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Although in public Soviet officials tend to denigrate the French electric locomotives imported recently, there is little doubt that lessons learnt from these engines will be incorporated in new Russian designs.
  2. You have no right to denigrate people and things that you have no personal experience with.

Etymology

Derived from Latin dēnigrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēnigrō (“to blacken”) [see -ate (verb-forming suffix)], from dē- (“of; from”) + nigrō (“to blacken”) [from niger (“black”)]. Cognate with Middle English denigart(e) (“darkened, discolored”).

This word in other languages

denigrar(Español)dénigrer(Français)anschwärzen(Deutsch)denegrir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddenigrate
  • deingrate
  • dengirate
  • denigarte
  • deniggrate
  • denigraet
  • denigratte
  • denigrrate
  • denigrtae
  • denirgate
  • dennigrate
  • dneigrate
  • ednigrate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of denigrate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddenigrate1deingrate2dengirate2denigarte2deniggrate1denigraet2denigratte1denigrrate1
Edit distance from "denigrate"

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 "denigrate"?
"denigrate" is spelled D-E-N-I-G-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t/.
What does "denigrate" mean?
As a verb, "denigrate" means: To criticize so as to besmirch; traduce, disparage or defame.
What words are commonly confused with "denigrate"?
"denigrate" is commonly confused with "designate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "denigrate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "denigrate" is /ˈdɛn.ɪ.ɡɹeɪ̯t/. 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 "denigrate"?
Derived from Latin dēnigrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēnigrō (“to blacken”) [see -ate (verb-forming suffix)], from dē- (“of; from”) + nigrō (“to blacken”) [from niger (“black”)]. Cognate with Middle English denigart(e) (“darkened, disc... 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 "denigrate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

detonator#47,576Cupertino#47,553drinkable#47,592Courtenay#47,551

Similar misspelling depth

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

evocation13 variantsChiswick13 variantsextradite13 variantsextricate13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list