evacuate

/ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/

//ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“evacuate” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,316. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,316
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To leave or withdraw from; to quit; to retire from.

Corpus desk

Index EN-evacuate · evacuate · English

evacuate · rank #14,316 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,316
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH distinctly

Nearest frequency peer: distinctly (-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 “evacuate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “evacuate” 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).

evacuate vs evaluate
88% similar
evacuate vs evacuated
89% similar
evacuate vs ejaculate
78% similar

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

Key facts for evacuate
PropertyValue
Headwordevacuate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,316
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “evacuate”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “distinctly” (#14,315), “Everett” (#14,317), “dispose” (#14,314). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “evacuate” is #14,316. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around evacuate (IPA /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,316 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for evacuate, with forms such as "eavcuate", "evacaute", and "evaccuate". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "evaluate", "evacuated", "ejaculate", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1526; borrowed from Latin ēvacuātus, the perfect passive participle of ēvacuō (“to empty out, evacuate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is evacuate, spelled E-V-A-C-U-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To leave or withdraw from; to quit; to retire from.
  2. 2
    To cause (or help) to leave or withdraw from.
  3. 3
    To make empty; to empty out; to remove the contents of, including to create a vacuum.
  4. 4
    To make empty; to deprive.
  5. 5
    To remove; to eject; to void; to discharge, as the contents of a vessel, or of the bladder or the bowels (to stool).
  6. 6
    To make void; to nullify; to vacate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The soldiers evacuated the fortress.
  2. The firefighters told us to evacuate the area as the flames approached.

Etymology

First attested in 1526; borrowed from Latin ēvacuātus, the perfect passive participle of ēvacuō (“to empty out, evacuate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

evacuar(Español)évacuer(Français)evakuieren(Deutsch)evacuar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eavcuate
  • evacaute
  • evaccuate
  • evacuaet
  • evacuatte
  • evacutae
  • evaucate
  • evcauate
  • evvacuate
  • veacuate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eavcuate2evacaute2evaccuate1evacuaet2evacuatte1evacutae2evaucate2evcauate2
Edit distance from "evacuate"

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 "evacuate"?
"evacuate" is spelled E-V-A-C-U-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/.
What does "evacuate" mean?
As a verb, "evacuate" means: To leave or withdraw from; to quit; to retire from.
What words are commonly confused with "evacuate"?
"evacuate" is commonly confused with "evaluate", "evacuated", "ejaculate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "evacuate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "evacuate" is /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/. 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 "evacuate"?
First attested in 1526; borrowed from Latin ēvacuātus, the perfect passive participle of ēvacuō (“to empty out, evacuate”), see -ate (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 "evacuate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flourish#14,324countess#14,302Griffith#14,332guarding#14,333

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

dispose10 variantsdebuted10 variantsgunfire10 variantsCameroon10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list