fumigate
/ˈfjuːmɪɡeɪt/
"fumigate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“fumigate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To disinfect, purify, or rid of vermin with the fumes of certain chemicals.
Corpus desk
Index EN-fumigate · fumigate · English
fumigate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "F" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | fumigate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈfjuːmɪɡeɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “fumigate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
fumigate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈfjuːmɪɡeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To disinfect, purify, or rid of vermin with the fumes of certain chemicals.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for fumigate, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1530; borrowed from Latin fūmigātus, perfect passive participle of fūmigō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fūmus (“smoke”). The correct English form is fumigate, spelled F-U-M-I-G-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To disinfect, purify, or rid of vermin with the fumes of certain chemicals.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how fumigate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
They fumigated the Church with burnt wool and feathers instead of incense, put foul water into the holy-water basins, and celebrated a parody on the Church-service, the mock Abbot officiating at the altar; […]
‘Pest control are coming too. They’ll be fumigating the place.’
Etymology
First attested in 1530; borrowed from Latin fūmigātus, perfect passive participle of fūmigō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fūmus (“smoke”).
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.