emulate

/ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/

//ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt// verb

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

"emulate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emulate” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,900. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,900
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To attempt to equal or be the same as.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emulate · emulate · English

emulate · rank #16,900 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,900
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Emmanuel

Nearest frequency peer: Emmanuel (-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 “emulate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “emulate” 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).

emulate vs equate
71% similar
emulate vs emulator
75% similar
emulate vs educate
71% similar

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

Key facts for emulate
PropertyValue
Headwordemulate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#16,900
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “emulate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).emulatelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Emmanuel” (#16,899), “embarrass” (#16,898), “endowed” (#16,902). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “emulate” is #16,900. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around emulate (IPA /ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,900 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for emulate, with forms such as "emluate", "emmulate", and "emualte". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "equate", "emulator", "educate", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1586; borrowed from Latin aemulātus, perfect active participle of Latin aemulor (“to rival, emulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). The correct English form is emulate, spelled E-M-U-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To attempt to equal or be the same as.
  2. 2
    To copy or imitate, especially a person.
  3. 3
    To feel a rivalry with; to be jealous of, to envy.
  4. 4
    of a program or device: to imitate another program or device

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. People are endlessly fascinating, even if you'd never want to emulate them.
  2. The Magpies are unbeaten and enjoying their best run since 1994, although few would have thought the class of 2011 would come close to emulating their ancestors.

Etymology

First attested in 1586; borrowed from Latin aemulātus, perfect active participle of Latin aemulor (“to rival, emulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

emular(Español)émuler(Français)nachahmen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emluate
  • emmulate
  • emualte
  • emulaet
  • emulatte
  • emullate
  • emultae
  • eumlate
  • meulate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emluate2emmulate1emualte2emulaet2emulatte1emullate1emultae2eumlate2
Edit distance from "emulate"

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 "emulate"?
"emulate" is spelled E-M-U-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/.
What does "emulate" mean?
As a verb, "emulate" means: To attempt to equal or be the same as.
What words are commonly confused with "emulate"?
"emulate" is commonly confused with "equate", "emulator", "educate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emulate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emulate" is /ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/. 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 "emulate"?
First attested in 1586; borrowed from Latin aemulātus, perfect active participle of Latin aemulor (“to rival, emulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-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 "emulate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

endowed#16,902enquiry#16,903drifted#16,896evasion#16,904

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

depict9 variantsfoliage9 variantsFresno9 variantsGoodwin9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list