dominate

/ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/

//ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“dominate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,658. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,658
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 govern, rule or control by superior authority or power

Corpus desk

Index EN-dominate · dominate · English

dominate · rank #8,658 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,658
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH distinguish

Nearest frequency peer: distinguish (-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 “dominate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dominate” 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).

dominate vs donate
75% similar
dominate vs dominated
89% similar
dominate vs dominant
75% similar

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

Key facts for dominate
PropertyValue
Headworddominate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,658
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dominate”

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).dominatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “distinguish” (#8,657), “dynasty” (#8,659), “dissolved” (#8,656). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dominate” is #8,658. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around dominate (IPA /ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #8,658 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for dominate, with forms such as "ddominate", "dmoinate", and "doimnate". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "donate", "dominated", "dominant", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin dominātus, perfect active participle of dominor (“to rule, have dominion”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dominus (“lord, master”) + -or (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is dominate, spelled D-O-M-I-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To govern, rule or control by superior authority or power
  2. 2
    To exert an overwhelming guiding influence over something or someone
  3. 3
    To enjoy a commanding position in some field
  4. 4
    To overlook from a height.
  5. 5
    To precede another node of a directed graph in all paths from the start of the graph to the other node.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The title of this article evokes memories of the beginning of World War II and reveals one method dictators use to increase their power. In China’s case, Xi Jinping’s Anschluss of Hong Kong in June 2020 fits nicely with the way Hitler began his initial European expansion strategy, called Lebensraum (living space). In Zweites Buch, Hitler said that to domi…
  2. THE THREE DOMINANT FORMS IN METALSMITHING […] At present, there are but three basic volumetric forms dominating the work of metalsmiths, the spherical (usually in its most practical form, the domical), the cylindrical, and the cubical. […] The possibilities for further variations on them are all but exhausted, there being little chance to express new and…

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dominātus, perfect active participle of dominor (“to rule, have dominion”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dominus (“lord, master”) + -or (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

dominar(Español)dominer(Français)dominieren(Deutsch)dominar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddominate
  • dmoinate
  • doimnate
  • domiante
  • dominaet
  • dominatte
  • dominnate
  • domintae
  • domminate
  • domniate
  • odminate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dominate - 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.

ddominate1dmoinate2doimnate2domiante2dominaet2dominatte1dominnate1domintae2
Edit distance from "dominate"

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 "dominate"?
"dominate" is spelled D-O-M-I-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/.
What does "dominate" mean?
As a verb, "dominate" means: To govern, rule or control by superior authority or power
What words are commonly confused with "dominate"?
"dominate" is commonly confused with "donate", "dominated", "dominant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dominate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dominate" is /ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/. 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 "dominate"?
Borrowed from Latin dominātus, perfect active participle of dominor (“to rule, have dominion”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dominus (“lord, master”) + -or (verb-forming suffix). 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 "dominate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

forehead#8,667backyard#8,637appetite#8,636inclined#8,681

Similar misspelling depth

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

crashes11 variantsconsult11 variantsGregory11 variantsBeverly11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list