inflate
/ɪnˈfleɪt/verb
inflate is spelled I-N-F-L-A-T-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, inflate means “To enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it; to raise or expand abnormally” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in inflate?
| Letters | 7: I-N-F-L-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is inflate?
Inflate appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th 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 inflate?
- US /ɪnˈfleɪt/
- Australia /ɪnˈflæɪt/
- /ənˈflæɪt/
Inflate has 2 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: En-us-inflate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with inflate?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as inflate from its last stressed vowel (/eɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of inflate
- inflates present, singular, he/she/it
- inflating participle, present
- inflated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inflate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To enlarge an object by pushing air (or a gas) into it; to raise or expand abnormally
You inflate a balloon by blowing air into it.
- 2
To enlarge by filling with air (or a gas).
The balloon will inflate if you blow into it.
- 3
To swell; to puff up.
to inflate somebody with pride or vanity
- 4
To decompress (data) that was previously deflated.
- 5
To represent something as being more important, better, or worse than it actually is; to exaggerate.
Israel routinely claims that the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, has a tendency to inflate the number of Palestinian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inflate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gonfler, enfler , se gonfler |
| German | aufblasen, aufpumpen, aufblähen |
| Portuguese | inchar, inflar , encher |
| Spanish | inflar, hinchar, implar , descomprimir, desempaquetar |
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 inflate come from?
From Latin īnflātus, perfect passive participle of īnflō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of inblow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).