fumigate
/ˈfjuːmɪɡeɪt/verb
fumigate is spelled F-U-M-I-G-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 110,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fumigate means “To disinfect, purify, or rid of vermin with the fumes of certain chemicals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fumigate?
| Letters | 8: F-U-M-I-G-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 110,368th 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 fumigate?
Fumigate appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 110,368th 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 fumigate?
- /ˈfjuːmɪɡeɪt/
Fumigate 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fumigate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fumigate
- fumigates present, singular, he/she/it
- fumigating participle, present
- fumigated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fumigate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disinfect, purify, or rid of vermin with the fumes of certain chemicals.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fumigate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense disinfect:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fumiger |
| German | ausräuchern |
| Portuguese | fumigar |
| Spanish | fumigar |
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 fumigate come from?
First attested in 1530; borrowed from Latin fūmigātus, perfect passive participle of fūmigō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fūmus (“smoke”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).