implicate
/ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/
"implicate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“implicate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,350 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #35,350
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To show to be connected or involved in an unfavorable or criminal way.
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 | implicate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #35,350 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “implicate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for implicate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,350 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for implicate, with forms such as "imlpicate", "immplicate", and "impilcate". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "implicit", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicaten (poorly attested), from implicat(e) (“wrapped, entwined; involved, connected (with)”, possibly also used as the past participle of implicaten) + -en (verb-formin… The correct English form is implicate, spelled I-M-P-L-I-C-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To show to be connected or involved in an unfavorable or criminal way.
- 2To imply, to have as a necessary consequence or accompaniment.
- 3To imply without entailing; to have as an implicature.
- 4To fold or twist together, intertwine, interlace, entangle, entwine.
Etymology
First attested in the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicaten (poorly attested), from implicat(e) (“wrapped, entwined; involved, connected (with)”, possibly also used as the past participle of implicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin implicātus, perfect passive participle of implicō (“to entangle, involve”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from plicō (“to fold”). Doublet of imply and employ.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: imlpicate,immplicate,impilcate,implciate,impliacte,implicaet,implicatte,impliccate,implictae,impllicate,impplicate,ipmlicate,miplicate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of implicate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “implicate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-L-I-C-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “implicit” - see the side-by-side comparison. implicate vs implicit
- 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.