instigate

/ˈɪnstəɡeɪt/

//ˈɪnstəɡeɪt// verb

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

"instigate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“instigate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,909. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,909
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bring about by urging or encouraging.

Corpus desk

Index EN-instigate · instigate · English

instigate · rank #38,909 · 13 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,909
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inoperable

Nearest frequency peer: inoperable (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “instigate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “instigate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

instigate vs intimate
78% similar
instigate vs institute
78% similar
instigate vs instigator
80% similar

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

Key facts for instigate
PropertyValue
Headwordinstigate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɪnstəɡeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#38,909
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “instigate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).instigatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “inoperable” (#38,908), “insufficiently” (#38,910), “inhospitable” (#38,907). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “instigate” is #38,909. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around instigate (IPA /ˈɪnstəɡeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #38,909 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for instigate, with forms such as "innstigate", "insitgate", and "insstigate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "intimate", "institute", "instigator", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin īnstīgātus, perfect passive participle of īnstīgō (“to instigate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is instigate, spelled I-N-S-T-I-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bring about by urging or encouraging.
  2. 2
    To goad or urge (a person) forward, especially to wicked actions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to instigate a riot
  2. to instigate a change

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnstīgātus, perfect passive participle of īnstīgō (“to instigate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

instigar(Español)inciter(Français)anstiften(Deutsch)instigar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innstigate
  • insitgate
  • insstigate
  • instgiate
  • instiagte
  • instigaet
  • instigatte
  • instiggate
  • instigtae
  • insttigate
  • intsigate
  • isntigate
  • nistigate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of instigate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

innstigate1insitgate2insstigate1instgiate2instiagte2instigaet2instigatte1instiggate1
Edit distance from "instigate"

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 "instigate"?
"instigate" is spelled I-N-S-T-I-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnstəɡeɪt/.
What does "instigate" mean?
As a verb, "instigate" means: To bring about by urging or encouraging.
What words are commonly confused with "instigate"?
"instigate" is commonly confused with "intimate", "institute", "instigator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "instigate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "instigate" is /ˈɪnstəɡeɪt/. 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 "instigate"?
Borrowed from Latin īnstīgātus, perfect passive participle of īnstīgō (“to instigate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). 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 "instigate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Israelite#38,917immediacy#38,897Jefferies#38,922headstone#38,881

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Hitchens13 variantslicensure13 variantsMaldonado13 variantsfreshest13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list