mediate
/ˈmidieɪt/
"mediate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mediate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,512 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #24,512
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To resolve differences, or to bring about a settlement, between conflicting parties.
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 | mediate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈmidieɪt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #24,512 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mediate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mediate is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmidieɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,512 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mediate, with forms such as "emdiate", "mdeiate", and "medaite". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "medicare", "mediator", "meditate", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in the 1440s in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English mediat(e) (“intermediate; intercessory”), borrowed from Late Latin mediātus, perfect passive participle of mediō (“to divide in the middle; (in Medieval La… The correct English form is mediate, spelled M-E-D-I-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To resolve differences, or to bring about a settlement, between conflicting parties.
- 2To intervene between conflicting parties in order to resolve differences or bring about a settlement.
- 3To divide into two equal parts.
- 4To act as an intermediary causal or communicative agent; to convey.
- 5To act as a spiritualistic medium.
- 6To communicate via media; to frame; to provide a cultural narrative about.
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in the 1440s in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English mediat(e) (“intermediate; intercessory”), borrowed from Late Latin mediātus, perfect passive participle of mediō (“to divide in the middle; (in Medieval Latin) to be in the middle, be or become between, mediate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from medius (“middle”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: emdiate,mdeiate,medaite,meddiate,mediaet,meditae,meidate,mmediate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mediate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “mediate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-E-D-I-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmidieɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “medicare” - see the side-by-side comparison. mediate vs medicare
- 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.