dilate

/daɪˈleɪt/

//daɪˈleɪt// verb

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

"dilate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dilate” is uncommon English (frequency #56,708 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,708
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To enlarge; to make bigger.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dilate · dilate · English

dilate · rank #56,708 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,708
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH didst

Nearest frequency peer: didst (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “dilate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “dilate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dilate
PropertyValue
Headworddilate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/daɪˈleɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#56,708
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dilate” in English

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).dilatefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “didst” (#56,707), “DeSantis” (#56,704), “demigod” (#56,703). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dilate” is #56,708. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dilate is uncommon English at frequency #56,708 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /daɪˈleɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dilate, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten, from Old French dilater, from Latin dīlātō (“to spread out”), from dī- + lātus (“wide”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of dilatate. The correct English form is dilate, spelled D-I-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To enlarge; to make bigger.
  2. 2
    To become wider or larger; to expand.
  3. 3
    To speak largely and copiously; to dwell in narration; to enlarge; with "on" or "upon".
  4. 4
    To use a dilator to widen (something, such as a vagina).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The eye doctor put drops in my eye to dilate the pupil so he could see the nerve better.
  2. His heart dilates and glories in his strength.

Etymology

First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten, from Old French dilater, from Latin dīlātō (“to spread out”), from dī- + lātus (“wide”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of dilatate.

This word in other languages

dilatar(Español)dilater(Français)dilatieren(Deutsch)dilatar(Português)

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 "dilate"?
"dilate" is spelled D-I-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /daɪˈleɪt/.
What does "dilate" mean?
As a verb, "dilate" means: To enlarge; to make bigger.
How do you pronounce "dilate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dilate" is /daɪˈleɪt/. 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 "dilate"?
First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dilaten, from Old French dilater, from Latin dīlātō (“to spread out”), from dī- + lātus (“wide”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of dilatate. 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 "dilate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Culkin#56,686Cowles#56,682facies#56,740colter#56,673

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list