irrigate

/ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/

//ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt// verb

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

"irrigate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“irrigate” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,298. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,298
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-irrigate · irrigate · English

irrigate · rank #48,298 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,298
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH itty

Nearest frequency peer: itty (+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 “irrigate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “irrigate” 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).

irrigate vs irritate
88% similar
irrigate vs irritated
78% similar

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

Key facts for irrigate
PropertyValue
Headwordirrigate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,298
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “irrigate”

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).irrigatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “itty” (#48,299), “INTHE” (#48,296), “interrogator” (#48,295). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “irrigate” is #48,298. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around irrigate (IPA /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,298 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for irrigate, with forms such as "irigate", "irirgate", and "irrgiate". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "irritate", "irritated", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1615; borrowed from Latin irrigātus, perfect passive participle of irrigō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). See also Middle English irrigat(e) (“watered, irrigated”). The correct English form is irrigate, spelled I-R-R-I-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.
  2. 2
    To clean (a wound) with a fluid.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We need to irrigate the land before we plant the crops.
  2. The nurse will show you how to irrigate the wound to prevent infection.

Etymology

First attested in 1615; borrowed from Latin irrigātus, perfect passive participle of irrigō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). See also Middle English irrigat(e) (“watered, irrigated”).

This word in other languages

irrigar(Español)irriguer(Français)bewässern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • irigate
  • irirgate
  • irrgiate
  • irriagte
  • irrigaet
  • irrigatte
  • irriggate
  • irrigtae
  • ririgate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of irrigate - 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.

irigate1irirgate2irrgiate2irriagte2irrigaet2irrigatte1irriggate1irrigtae2
Edit distance from "irrigate"

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 "irrigate"?
"irrigate" is spelled I-R-R-I-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/.
What does "irrigate" mean?
As a verb, "irrigate" means: To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "irrigate"?
"irrigate" is commonly confused with "irritate", "irritated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "irrigate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irrigate" is /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/. 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 "irrigate"?
First attested in 1615; borrowed from Latin irrigātus, perfect passive participle of irrigō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). See also Middle English irrigat(e) (“watered, irrigated”). 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 "irrigate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Marcella#48,340geodetic#48,252morbidly#48,364Eusebius#48,224

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

lances9 variantshobbled9 variantshemming9 variantslepers9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list