fixate

/fɪkˈseɪt/

//fɪkˈseɪt// verb

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

"fixate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fixate” is uncommon English (frequency #65,890 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,890
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make something fixed and stable; to fix.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fixate · fixate · English

fixate · rank #65,890 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,890
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Findley

Nearest frequency peer: Findley (-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 “fixate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fixate
PropertyValue
Headwordfixate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fɪkˈseɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#65,890
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fixate” 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).fixatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Findley” (#65,889), “fkn” (#65,891), “fid” (#65,888). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fixate” is #65,890. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fixate is uncommon English at frequency #65,890 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /fɪkˈseɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for fixate in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fix + -ate (verb-forming suffix) or Latin fixus (“fixed, solid”) + -ate. The correct English form is fixate, spelled F-I-X-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make something fixed and stable; to fix.
  2. 2
    To stare fixedly at something.
  3. 3
    To attend to something to the exclusion of all others.
  4. 4
    To attach oneself to a person or thing in a pathological, neurotic, or obsessive manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He needed something to fixate on now that the repainting was done.

Etymology

From fix + -ate (verb-forming suffix) or Latin fixus (“fixed, solid”) + -ate.

This word in other languages

fijar(Español)fixieren(Deutsch)

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 "fixate"?
"fixate" is spelled F-I-X-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪkˈseɪt/.
What does "fixate" mean?
As a verb, "fixate" means: To make something fixed and stable; to fix.
How do you pronounce "fixate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fixate" is /fɪkˈseɪt/. 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 "fixate"?
From fix + -ate (verb-forming suffix) or Latin fixus (“fixed, solid”) + -ate. 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 "fixate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ferric#65,886Fonder#65,901Fareed#65,875erring#65,867

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list