# fluctuate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈflʌkt͡ʃu.eɪt/ · frequency rank #29,276

## Definitions
1. To vary irregularly; to swing.
2. To undulate.
3. To be irresolute; to waver.
4. To cause to vary irregularly.
5. To rise and fall as a wave; to be tossed up and down the waves.

## Etymology
First attested in the 1630'; borrowed from Latin flūctuātus, perfect passive participle of flūctuō (“(of the sea) to surge, swell; (of man) to waver, fluctuate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

## Common misspellings (13)
`ffluctuate`, `flcutuate`, `flluctuate`, `flucctuate`, `fluctaute`, `flucttuate`, `fluctuaet`, `fluctuatte`, `fluctutae`, `flucutate`, `flutcuate`, `fulctuate`, `lfuctuate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fluctuate