marinate

/ˈmæɹɪneɪt/

//ˈmæɹɪneɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“marinate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,746 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#47,746
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To allow a sauce or flavoring mixture to absorb into something; to steep or soak something in a marinade to flavor or prepare it for cooking.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

marinate vs marine
75% similar
marinate vs marina
75% similar
marinate vs magnate
75% similar

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

Key facts for marinate
PropertyValue
Headwordmarinate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈmæɹɪneɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#47,746
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “marinate” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for marinate is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmæɹɪneɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,746 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for marinate, with forms such as "amrinate", "mairnate", and "mariante". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "marine", "marina", "magnate", and more, 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 1645; adapted from either French mariner or the earlier attested Italian marinare (“to pickle, marinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Late Latin marina (“brine, salt water”), short for aqua ma… The correct English form is marinate, spelled M-A-R-I-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To allow a sauce or flavoring mixture to absorb into something; to steep or soak something in a marinade to flavor or prepare it for cooking.
  2. 2
    Of ideas or feelings, to mentally develop over time.
  3. 3
    Especially of a haircut, to settle in and for one to get used to it.

Etymology

First attested in 1645; adapted from either French mariner or the earlier attested Italian marinare (“to pickle, marinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Late Latin marina (“brine, salt water”), short for aqua marina (“sea water”), from Latin marinus (“marine, of the sea”), from Latin mare (“the sea”) from Proto-Indo-European *móri (“the sea”).

This word in other languages

adobar(Español)mariner(Français)marinieren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amrinate,mairnate,mariante,marinaet,marinatte,marinnate,marintae,marniate,marrinate,mmarinate,mrainate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of marinate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amrinate2mairnate2mariante2marinaet2marinatte1marinnate1marintae2marniate2
Edit distance from "marinate"

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 "marinate"?
"marinate" is spelled M-A-R-I-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæɹɪneɪt/.
What does "marinate" mean?
As a verb, "marinate" means: To allow a sauce or flavoring mixture to absorb into something; to steep or soak something in a marinade to flavor or prepare it for cooking.
What words are commonly confused with "marinate"?
"marinate" is commonly confused with "marine", "marina", "magnate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "marinate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marinate" is /ˈmæɹɪneɪt/. 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 "marinate"?
First attested in 1645; adapted from either French mariner or the earlier attested Italian marinare (“to pickle, marinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Late Latin marina (“brine, salt water”), short f... 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.

Using “marinate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-R-I-N-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmæɹɪneɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “marine” - see the side-by-side comparison. marinate vs marine
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list