legate

/ˈlɛɡɪt/

//ˈlɛɡɪt// noun

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

"legate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“legate” is uncommon English (frequency #51,816 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,816
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-legate · legate · English

legate · rank #51,816 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,816
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Legoland

Nearest frequency peer: Legoland (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “legate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for legate
PropertyValue
Headwordlegate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛɡɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,816
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “legate” 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).legatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Legoland” (#51,817), “LCC” (#51,814), “Leong” (#51,819). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “legate” is #51,816. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

legate is uncommon English at frequency #51,816 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɛɡɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for legate, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Old English legat(e), from Old French legat, from Latin lēgātus, substantivized from the perfect passive participle of lēgō (“to bequeath, send as envoy”). The correct English form is legate, spelled L-E-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions.
  2. 2
    An ambassador or messenger.
  3. 3
    The deputy of a provincial governor or general in ancient Rome.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Moſt great and puiſant Monarke of the earth, Your Baſſoe wil accompliſh your beheſt: And ſhew your pleaſure to the Perſean, As fits the Legate of the ſtately Turke.
  2. The dark figure on the raised white terrace; legate of the sun facing the sun; the most ancient royal power.

Etymology

Inherited from Old English legat(e), from Old French legat, from Latin lēgātus, substantivized from the perfect passive participle of lēgō (“to bequeath, send as envoy”).

This word in other languages

legado(Español)légat(Français)Legat(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 "legate"?
"legate" is spelled L-E-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛɡɪt/.
What does "legate" mean?
As a noun, "legate" means: A deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions.
How do you pronounce "legate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "legate" is /ˈlɛɡɪt/. 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 "legate"?
Inherited from Old English legat(e), from Old French legat, from Latin lēgātus, substantivized from the perfect passive participle of lēgō (“to bequeath, send as envoy”). 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 "legate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lilley#51,824Keyser#51,802m'lady#51,834Justus#51,795

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list