interrogate

/ɪnˈtɛɹ.ə.ɡeɪt/

//ɪnˈtɛɹ.ə.ɡeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“interrogate” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,873. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,873
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To question or quiz, especially in a thorough or aggressive manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-interrogate · interrogate · English

interrogate · rank #32,873 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #32,873
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH interfaith

Nearest frequency peer: interfaith (-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 “interrogate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “interrogate” 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).

interrogate vs interrogator
83% similar

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

Key facts for interrogate
PropertyValue
Headwordinterrogate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈtɛɹ.ə.ɡeɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#32,873
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “interrogate”

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).interrogatelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “interfaith” (#32,872), “introspective” (#32,874), “interchangeably” (#32,871). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “interrogate” is #32,873. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around interrogate (IPA /ɪnˈtɛɹ.ə.ɡeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #32,873 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for interrogate, with forms such as "inetrrogate", "innterrogate", and "interogate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "interrogator", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin interrogātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin interrogō (“to inquire, interrogate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is interrogate, spelled I-N-T-E-R-R-O-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To question or quiz, especially in a thorough or aggressive manner.
  2. 2
    To query (something); to request information from (something).
  3. 3
    To examine (something) critically.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The police interrogated the suspect at some length before they let him go.
  2. to interrogate a database

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin interrogātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin interrogō (“to inquire, interrogate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

interrogar(Español)interroger(Français)verhören(Deutsch)questionar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inetrrogate
  • innterrogate
  • interogate
  • interorgate
  • interrgoate
  • interroagte
  • interrogaet
  • interrogatte
  • interroggate
  • interrogtae
  • intrerogate
  • intterrogate
  • itnerrogate
  • niterrogate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of interrogate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

inetrrogate2innterrogate1interogate1interorgate2interrgoate2interroagte2interrogaet2interrogatte1
Edit distance from "interrogate"

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 "interrogate"?
"interrogate" is spelled I-N-T-E-R-R-O-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtɛɹ.ə.ɡeɪt/.
What does "interrogate" mean?
As a verb, "interrogate" means: To question or quiz, especially in a thorough or aggressive manner.
What words are commonly confused with "interrogate"?
"interrogate" is commonly confused with "interrogator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "interrogate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "interrogate" is /ɪnˈtɛɹ.ə.ɡeɪt/. 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 "interrogate"?
Learned borrowing from Latin interrogātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin interrogō (“to inquire, interrogate”), 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 "interrogate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

insecticide#32,869infatuation#32,862Leavenworth#32,894matrimonial#32,912

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

infatuated14 variantsHumphries14 variantsgroundhog14 variantsMcKnight14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list