frigate
/ˈfɹɪɡ.ət/
"frigate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“frigate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,768 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #25,768
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several types of warship:
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | frigate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈfɹɪɡ.ət/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #25,768 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “frigate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for frigate is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɹɪɡ.ət/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,768 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for frigate, with forms such as "ffrigate", "firgate", and "frgiate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "fright", "frighten", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French frégate, from Italian fregata, of uncertain origin. The correct English form is frigate, spelled F-R-I-G-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Any of several types of warship:
- 2Any of several types of warship:
- 3Any of several types of warship:
- 4Any of several types of warship:
- 5Any of several types of warship:
- 6A warship or space warship, inspired by one of the many historic varieties of frigate.
- 7A frigatebird (Fregata spp.).
Etymology
From French frégate, from Italian fregata, of uncertain origin.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ffrigate,firgate,frgiate,friagte,frigaet,frigatte,friggate,frigtae,frrigate,rfigate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of frigate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "frigate"?
What does "frigate" mean?
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Using “frigate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-R-I-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈfɹɪɡ.ət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “fright” - see the side-by-side comparison. frigate vs fright
- 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.