detonate

/ˈdɛtəneɪt/

//ˈdɛtəneɪt// verb

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

"detonate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“detonate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,627. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,627
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To explode, blow up

Corpus desk

Index EN-detonate · detonate · English

detonate · rank #29,627 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,627
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dined

Nearest frequency peer: dined (+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 “detonate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “detonate” 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).

detonate vs donate
75% similar
detonate vs detonator
78% similar
detonate vs decorate
75% similar

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

Key facts for detonate
PropertyValue
Headworddetonate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɛtəneɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#29,627
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “detonate”

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).detonatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “dined” (#29,628), “deafening” (#29,624), “disordered” (#29,630). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “detonate” is #29,627. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around detonate (IPA /ˈdɛtəneɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #29,627 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for detonate, with forms such as "ddetonate", "deotnate", and "detnoate". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "donate", "detonator", "decorate", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1729; either borrowed from French détoner or directly from Latin dētonātus, perfect passive participle of dētonō (“to thunder down (strongly); (figuratively, of a person) to thunder, speak threateningly, to rage; to stop thundering”) (see … The correct English form is detonate, spelled D-E-T-O-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To explode, blow up
  2. 2
    To explode, blow up
  3. 3
    To cause to explode.
  4. 4
    To express sudden anger.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The engineers detonated the dynamite and watched the old building collapse.
  2. As Oscar turned to greet Yvonne, she could see every muscle in his body contract in anger. Then he detonated. “What the hell are you doing here without an appointment? […]

Etymology

First attested in 1729; either borrowed from French détoner or directly from Latin dētonātus, perfect passive participle of dētonō (“to thunder down (strongly); (figuratively, of a person) to thunder, speak threateningly, to rage; to stop thundering”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dē- (“off, from”) + tonō (“to thunder”)). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tenh₂-. The current interlingual meaning seems to be a new formation in postclassical times (to thunder → make a large noise → explode), compare explode.

This word in other languages

détoner(Français)detonieren(Deutsch)detonar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddetonate
  • deotnate
  • detnoate
  • detoante
  • detonaet
  • detonatte
  • detonnate
  • detontae
  • dettonate
  • dteonate
  • edtonate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of detonate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddetonate1deotnate2detnoate2detoante2detonaet2detonatte1detonnate1detontae2
Edit distance from "detonate"

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 "detonate"?
"detonate" is spelled D-E-T-O-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛtəneɪt/.
What does "detonate" mean?
As a verb, "detonate" means: To explode, blow up
What words are commonly confused with "detonate"?
"detonate" is commonly confused with "donate", "detonator", "decorate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "detonate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "detonate" is /ˈdɛtəneɪt/. 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 "detonate"?
First attested in 1729; either borrowed from French détoner or directly from Latin dētonātus, perfect passive participle of dētonō (“to thunder down (strongly); (figuratively, of a person) to thunder, speak threateningly, to rage; to stop thunderi... 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 "detonate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

daydream#29,623Cranston#29,617confided#29,608faceless#29,646

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Edmunds11 variantsfatigued11 variantscoercive11 variantsGallipoli11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list