irrigate
/ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/
"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
- 17,902
- “I” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | irrigate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #48,298 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “irrigate” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around irrigate (IPA /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,298 among 17,902 “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
- 1To supply (farmland) with water, by building ditches, pipes, etc.
- 2To clean (a wound) with a fluid.
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
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.
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"?
What does "irrigate" mean?
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Using “irrigate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-R-R-I-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪɹəˌɡeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “irritate” - see the side-by-side comparison. irrigate vs irritate
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.