instate

/ɪnˈsteɪt/

//ɪnˈsteɪt// verb

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

The verdict

“instate” is uncommon English (frequency #86,384 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,384
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To install (someone) in office; to establish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-instate · instate · English

instate · rank #86,384 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,384
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH instore

Nearest frequency peer: instore (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “instate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for instate
PropertyValue
Headwordinstate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈsteɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#86,384
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “instate” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).instatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “instore” (#86,385), “instrumentally” (#86,386), “Infantino” (#86,381). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “instate” is #86,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

instate is uncommon English at frequency #86,384 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈsteɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To install (someone) in office; to establish.".

No misspelling variants are generated for instate in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + state (noun). The correct English form is instate, spelled I-N-S-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To install (someone) in office; to establish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Except that in the rest of society there was sex aplenty, with the hedonism of “the Sixties” almost officially instated as dogma, and the slow, surreptitious growth of this consensus to the then unguessed-at status of “correctness.”

Etymology

From in- + state (noun).

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); 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 "instate"?
"instate" is spelled I-N-S-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈsteɪt/.
What does "instate" mean?
As a verb, "instate" means: To install (someone) in office; to establish.
How do you pronounce "instate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "instate" is /ɪnˈsteɪt/. 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 "instate"?
From in- + state (noun). 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 "instate", 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