lubricate
/ˈluːbrɪkeɪt/
"lubricate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lubricate” is uncommon English (frequency #57,528 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #57,528
- frequency rank, English
- 16,425
- “L” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make slippery or smooth (normally to minimize friction) by applying a lubricant.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lubricate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈluːbrɪkeɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #57,528 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lubricate” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
lubricate is uncommon English at frequency #57,528 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈluːbrɪkeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for lubricate in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin lūbricātus, perfect passive participle of lūbricō (“make slippery”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from lūbricus (“slippery”). The correct English form is lubricate, spelled L-U-B-R-I-C-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To make slippery or smooth (normally to minimize friction) by applying a lubricant.
- 2To cause someone to become drunk, especially to make them more sociable or talkative.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin lūbricātus, perfect passive participle of lūbricō (“make slippery”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from lūbricus (“slippery”).
This word in other languages
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 "lubricate"?
What does "lubricate" mean?
How do you pronounce "lubricate"?
What is the origin of the word "lubricate"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “lubricate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-U-B-R-I-C-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈluːbrɪkeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.