indicate

/ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/

//ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"indicate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indicate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,952. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,952
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indicate · indicate · English

indicate · rank #3,952 · 11 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,952
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inches

Nearest frequency peer: inches (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “indicate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “indicate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

indicate vs indict
75% similar
indicate vs intimate
75% similar
indicate vs indicated
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for indicate
PropertyValue
Headwordindicate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,952
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “indicate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). indicate lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around indicate (IPA /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,952 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for indicate, with forms such as "idnicate", "indciate", and "inddicate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "indict", "intimate", "indicated", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin indicātus, perfect passive participle of indicō (“to point out, indicate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, to”) + dicō (“to declare, (originally) to point”). See also diction and index. The correct English form is indicate, spelled I-N-D-I-C-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.
  2. 2
    To show or manifest by symptoms.
  3. 3
    To point to as the proper remedies.
  4. 4
    To signal in a vehicle the desire to turn right or left.
  5. 5
    To investigate the condition or power of, as of steam engine, by means of an indicator.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how indicate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The guard blew his whistle to indicate imminent departure.
  2. With just the turn of a shoulder she indicated the water front, where, at the end of the dock on which they stood, lay the good ship, Mount Vernon, river packet, the black smoke already pouring from her stacks.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin indicātus, perfect passive participle of indicō (“to point out, indicate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, to”) + dicō (“to declare, (originally) to point”). See also diction and index.

This word in other languages

indicar(Español)indiquer(Français)anzeigen(Deutsch)indicar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnicate
  • indciate
  • inddicate
  • indiacte
  • indicaet
  • indicatte
  • indiccate
  • indictae
  • inidcate
  • inndicate
  • nidicate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of indicate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

idnicate2indciate2inddicate1indiacte2indicaet2indicatte1indiccate1indictae2
Edit distance from "indicate"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "indicate"?
"indicate" is spelled I-N-D-I-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/.
What does "indicate" mean?
As a verb, "indicate" means: To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.
What words are commonly confused with "indicate"?
"indicate" is commonly confused with "indict", "intimate", "indicated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "indicate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indicate" is /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "indicate"?
Borrowed from Latin indicātus, perfect passive participle of indicō (“to point out, indicate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, to”) + dicō (“to declare, (originally) to point”). See also diction and index. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "indicate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grateful#3,947gorgeous#3,946operated#3,965discount#3,938

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

masters11 variantsbanking11 variantswould've11 variantsabsence11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "indicate". Here's where to go from here.

  • "indicate" maps to 8 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "indict". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,952 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list