ingrate

/ˈɪnɡɹeɪt/

//ˈɪnɡɹeɪt// adj

"ingrate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ingrate” is uncommon English (frequency #97,141 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,141
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ungrateful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ingrate · ingrate · English

ingrate · rank #97,141 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,141
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH improviser

Nearest frequency peer: improviser (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “ingrate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ingrate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ingrate
PropertyValue
Headwordingrate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪnɡɹeɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#97,141
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ingrate” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “improviser” (#97,138), “insecticidal” (#97,144), “insufferably” (#97,145). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ingrate” is #97,141. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ingrate is uncommon English at frequency #97,141 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɪnɡɹeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ingrate, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English ingrat, from Latin ingrātus (“disagreeable”), from in- (“not”) + grātus (“pleasing”). Cognate with French ingrat. The correct English form is ingrate, spelled I-N-G-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ungrateful.
  2. 2
    Unfriendly; unpleasant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many of theſe might ſeem ingrate and unkind children, that vvill no better acknovvledge and recogniſe their parents in vvords and outvvard pretence, but abrenounce and caſt them off, as though they hated them as dogs and ſerpents.
  2. Yet in his mind malitious and ingrate

Etymology

First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English ingrat, from Latin ingrātus (“disagreeable”), from in- (“not”) + grātus (“pleasing”). Cognate with French ingrat.

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

How do you spell "ingrate"?
"ingrate" is spelled I-N-G-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnɡɹeɪt/.
What does "ingrate" mean?
As an adjective, "ingrate" means: Ungrateful.
How do you pronounce "ingrate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ingrate" is /ˈɪnɡɹeɪt/. 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 "ingrate"?
First attested in 1393, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English ingrat, from Latin ingrātus (“disagreeable”), from in- (“not”) + grātus (“pleasing”). Cognate with French ingrat. 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 "ingrate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list