extirpate
/ˈɛkstəpeɪt/
"extirpate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“extirpate” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To clear an area of roots and stumps.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | extirpate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɛkstəpeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “extirpate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for extirpate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛkstəpeɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for extirpate in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is first attested in 1538, the adjective in 1541; borrowed from Latin exstirpātus perfect passive participle of exstirpō (“to uproot”), from ex- (“out of”) + stirps (“the lower part of the trunk of a tree, including the roots; the stem, stalk”) + -… The correct English form is extirpate, spelled E-X-T-I-R-P-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To clear an area of roots and stumps.
- 2To pull up by the roots; uproot.
- 3To destroy completely; to annihilate.
- 4To cause a population to go extinct in a particular region, but not across the entire range of the species or subspecies.
- 5To surgically remove.
Etymology
The verb is first attested in 1538, the adjective in 1541; borrowed from Latin exstirpātus perfect passive participle of exstirpō (“to uproot”), from ex- (“out of”) + stirps (“the lower part of the trunk of a tree, including the roots; the stem, stalk”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)). Doublet of extirp. Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “extirpate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-X-T-I-R-P-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɛkstəpeɪt/ (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
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.