emancipate

/ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt/

//ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt// verb

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

"emancipate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emancipate” is uncommon English (frequency #72,273 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,273
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To set free (a person or group) from the oppression or restraint of another; to liberate.

Key facts for emancipate
PropertyValue
Headwordemancipate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#72,273
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “emancipate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). emancipate lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

emancipate is uncommon English at frequency #72,273 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for emancipate in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin ēmancipātus (“liberated, emancipated”) + English -ate (suffix forming verbs, and adjectives with the sense ‘characterized by the specified thing’). Ēmancipātus is the perfect passive participle of ēmancipō (“to declare (someone)… The correct English form is emancipate, spelled E-M-A-N-C-I-P-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To set free (a person or group) from the oppression or restraint of another; to liberate.
  2. 2
    To set free (a person or group) from the oppression or restraint of another; to liberate.
  3. 3
    To set free (a person or group) from the oppression or restraint of another; to liberate.
  4. 4
    To set free (a person or group) from the oppression or restraint of another; to liberate.
  5. 5
    Often followed by from: to free (oneself or someone, or something) from some constraint or controlling influence (especially when evil or undue); also, to free (oneself or someone) from mental oppression.
  6. 6
    To place (something) under one's control; specifically (chiefly reflexive), to cause (oneself or someone) to become the slave of another person; to enslave; also, to subjugate (oneself or someone).
  7. 7
    To become free from the oppression or restraint of another.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin ēmancipātus (“liberated, emancipated”) + English -ate (suffix forming verbs, and adjectives with the sense ‘characterized by the specified thing’). Ēmancipātus is the perfect passive participle of ēmancipō (“to declare (someone) free and independent of another’s power, emancipate; to give (something) from one’s authority or power into that of another, to alienate, transfer; to cause (oneself or someone) to become another’s slave; to make (someone) subservient”), from ē- (a variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’)) + mancipō (“to sell; to transfer”) (from manceps (“owner, possessor; purchaser; etc.”) + -ō (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs)); and manceps is from Proto-Italic *manukaps, from *manus (“hand”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon; to signal”)) + *-kaps (suffix denoting a catcher) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grab, seize; to hold”); referring to one who catches something in the hand). The verb emancipate has verb sense 1.1 (“to set free”) and verb sense 1.3 (“(obsolete) to place under one’s control”) which are contradictory. The Latin word ēmancipō had the same senses, and the Oxford English Dictionary notes that according to the Latin grammarian Paulus Festus (fl. 8th century) this is because both actions were effected by the legal process of mancipation.

This word in other languages

emancipar(Español)émanciper(Français)emanzipieren(Deutsch)emancipar(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 "emancipate"?
"emancipate" is spelled E-M-A-N-C-I-P-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt/.
What does "emancipate" mean?
As a verb, "emancipate" means: To set free (a person or group) from the oppression or restraint of another; to liberate.
How do you pronounce "emancipate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emancipate" is /ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt/. 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 "emancipate"?
Learned borrowing from Latin ēmancipātus (“liberated, emancipated”) + English -ate (suffix forming verbs, and adjectives with the sense ‘characterized by the specified thing’). Ēmancipātus is the perfect passive participle of ēmancipō (“to declare... 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.

Using “emancipate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-A-N-C-I-P-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪˈmæn(t)sɪpeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list