irritate

/ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/

//ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“irritate” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,132. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,132
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in.

Corpus desk

Index EN-irritate · irritate · English

irritate · rank #26,132 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,132
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inked

Nearest frequency peer: inked (-2 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 “irritate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “irritate” 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).

irritate vs irritated
89% similar
irritate vs imitate
75% similar
irritate vs irritant
75% similar

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

Key facts for irritate
PropertyValue
Headwordirritate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#26,132
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “irritate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).irritatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “inked” (#26,130), “Jayne” (#26,134), “jive” (#26,135). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “irritate” is #26,132. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around irritate (IPA /ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,132 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for irritate, with forms such as "irirtate", "iritate", and "irriatte". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "irritated", "imitate", "irritant", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin irrītātus, perfect passive participle of irrītō (“excite, irritate, incite, stimulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is irritate, spelled I-R-R-I-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in.
  2. 2
    To cause or induce displeasure or irritation.
  3. 3
    To induce pain in (all or part of a body or organism).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If thou irritatest my lord, there will come to war against thee all the Getulians, Numidians, and Garamantes, Afric contains.
  2. Thou scandalizest me and irritatest my nature as much as it possibly can be irritated.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin irrītātus, perfect passive participle of irrītō (“excite, irritate, incite, stimulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

irritar(Español)agacer(Français)reizen(Deutsch)irritar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • irirtate
  • iritate
  • irriatte
  • irritaet
  • irritatte
  • irrittae
  • irrittate
  • irrtiate
  • riritate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of irritate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

irirtate2iritate1irriatte2irritaet2irritatte1irrittae2irrittate1irrtiate2
Edit distance from "irritate"

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 "irritate"?
"irritate" is spelled I-R-R-I-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/.
What does "irritate" mean?
As a verb, "irritate" means: To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in.
What words are commonly confused with "irritate"?
"irritate" is commonly confused with "irritated", "imitate", "irritant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "irritate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irritate" is /ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/. 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 "irritate"?
Borrowed from Latin irrītātus, perfect passive participle of irrītō (“excite, irritate, incite, stimulate”), 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 "irritate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

importer#26,124Lockwood#26,149mackerel#26,154Mayfield#26,160

Similar misspelling depth

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

keenly9 variantslesion9 variantslullaby9 variantshilltop9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list