expiate
/ˈɛk.spi.eɪt/verb
expiate is spelled E-X-P-I-A-T-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, expiate means “To atone or make reparation for” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in expiate?
| Letters | 7: E-X-P-I-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is expiate?
Expiate appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce expiate?
- US /ˈɛk.spi.eɪt/
Expiate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-expiate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of expiate
- expiates present, singular, he/she/it
- expiating participle, present
- expiated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does expiate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To atone or make reparation for.
- 2
To make amends or pay the penalty for.
- 3
obsoleteTo relieve or cleanse of guilt.
- 4
To purify with sacred rites.
- 5
To wind up, bring to an end.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Expiate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | expiar |
| German | gutmachen, wiedergutmachen |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does expiate come from?
From Latin expiātus, past participle of expiō (“atone for”
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).