interpolate

/ɪnˈtɜː.pəˌleɪt/

//ɪnˈtɜː.pəˌleɪt// verb

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

"interpolate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“interpolate” is uncommon English (frequency #94,997 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,997
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To introduce (something) between other things; especially to insert (possibly spurious) words into a text.

Corpus desk

Index EN-interpolate · interpolate · English

interpolate · rank #94,997 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,997
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH instantiation

Nearest frequency peer: instantiation (-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 “interpolate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for interpolate
PropertyValue
Headwordinterpolate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈtɜː.pəˌleɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#94,997
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “interpolate” 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).interpolatefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “instantiation” (#94,994), “instal” (#94,993), “ionisation” (#95,001). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “interpolate” is #94,997. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

interpolate is uncommon English at frequency #94,997 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈtɜː.pəˌleɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for interpolate, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin interpolātus, perfect passive participle of interpolō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French interpoler. The correct English form is interpolate, spelled I-N-T-E-R-P-O-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To introduce (something) between other things; especially to insert (possibly spurious) words into a text.
  2. 2
    To estimate the value of a function between two tabulated points.
  3. 3
    During the course of processing some data, and in response to a directive in that data, to fetch data from a different source and process it in-line along with the original data.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. in verse 74, the second line is clearly interpolated, probably by some unknown medieval scribe
  2. When interpolating an explanatory gloss, please enclose it in square brackets to make clear that it is interpolated.

Etymology

From Latin interpolātus, perfect passive participle of interpolō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French interpoler.

Synonyms

transclude

This word in other languages

interpoler(Français)interpolieren(Deutsch)

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 "interpolate"?
"interpolate" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-P-O-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɜː.pəˌleɪt/.
What does "interpolate" mean?
As a verb, "interpolate" means: To introduce (something) between other things; especially to insert (possibly spurious) words into a text.
How do you pronounce "interpolate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interpolate" is /ɪnˈtɜː.pəˌleɪt/. 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 "interpolate"?
From Latin interpolātus, perfect passive participle of interpolō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French interpoler. 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 "interpolate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

illusionary#94,984homewrecker#94,957labradorite#95,055healthiness#94,938

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list