entreat

/ɪnˈtɹiːt/

//ɪnˈtɹiːt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“entreat” is uncommon English (frequency #65,090 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,090
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Senses relating to asking or pleading.

Corpus desk

Index EN-entreat · entreat · English

entreat · rank #65,090 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,090
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH episcopate

Nearest frequency peer: episcopate (+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 “entreat”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for entreat
PropertyValue
Headwordentreat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈtɹiːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#65,090
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “entreat” in English

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).entreatfalls 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: “episcopate” (#65,091), “equalizing” (#65,092), “equilibria” (#65,093). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “entreat” is #65,090. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

entreat is uncommon English at frequency #65,090 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈtɹiːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

entreat doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is derived from Late Middle English entreten (“to deal with (someone) in a specified way; to concern oneself with (something); to deal with or give an account of (a topic); to engage in negotiation; to intercede for (someone); to plead with (someon… The correct English form is entreat, spelled E-N-T-R-E-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to asking or pleading.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to asking or pleading.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to asking or pleading.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to asking or pleading.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to asking or pleading.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating.
  10. 10
    Senses relating to dealing with or negotiating.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If you be ſhe, I doe intreat your patience / To heare me ſpeake the meſſage I am ſent on.
  2. My Lord vve muſt entreate the time alone.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English entreten (“to deal with (someone) in a specified way; to concern oneself with (something); to deal with or give an account of (a topic); to engage in negotiation; to intercede for (someone); to plead with (someone)”), from Anglo-Norman entraiter, entretier (“to concern oneself with (something); to deal with (someone) in a specified manner; to have a conversation with (someone); to negotiate (with someone, or about something)”), Middle French entraiter, entraictier, and Old French entraictier (“to have a conversation with (someone); to concern oneself with (something)”), from en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into’) + traiter (“to be concerned with (something); to treat (someone) in a specified way”) (from Latin tractāre, the present active infinitive of tractō (“to handle, manage; to drag, haul”), from trahō (“to drag, pull; etc.”) (see that entry for the further etymology) + -tō (frequentative suffix)). The noun is derived from Late Middle English entrete (“agreement; negotiation; treatment of a subject in discourse”), from the verb.

This word in other languages

rogar(Español)

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 "entreat"?
"entreat" is spelled E-N-T-R-E-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɹiːt/.
What does "entreat" mean?
As a verb, "entreat" means: Senses relating to asking or pleading.
How do you pronounce "entreat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "entreat" is /ɪnˈtɹiːt/. 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 "entreat"?
The verb is derived from Late Middle English entreten (“to deal with (someone) in a specified way; to concern oneself with (something); to deal with or give an account of (a topic); to engage in negotiation; to intercede for (someone); to plead wi... 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 "entreat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

falsity#65,109doublet#65,066Dorking#65,064dogfish#65,061

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list