designate
/ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.nət/adjective, verb
designate is spelled D-E-S-I-G-N-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, designate means “Designated; appointed; chosen” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in designate?
| Letters | 9: D-E-S-I-G-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is designate?
Designate appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 designate?
- US /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.nət/
- US /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.neɪt/
- Australia /ˈdez.ɪɡ.nət/
As a verb (“To mark out and make known; to point out; to indicate; to…”): /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.neɪt/, /ˈdez.ɪɡ.næɪt/.
Designate has 3 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-designate1.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-designate2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-designate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of designate
- designates present, singular, he/she/it
- designating participle, present
- designated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does designate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Designated; appointed; chosen.
- 2
UKUsed after a role title to indicate that the person has been selected but has yet to take up the role.
verb
- 1
To mark out and make known; to point out; to indicate; to show; to distinguish by marks or description
to designate the boundaries of a country
- 2
To call by a distinctive title; to name.
- 3
To indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty – with to or for; to designate an officer for or to the command of a post or station.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Designate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | désigner |
| German | bestimmen, kennzeichnen, markieren, benennen, designieren, signieren |
| Portuguese | designar |
| Spanish | designar |
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 designate come from?
Borrowed from Latin dēsignātus, perfect passive participle of designō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of design.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).