militate
/ˈmɪlɪteɪt/
"militate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“militate” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give force or effect toward; to influence.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | militate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈmɪlɪteɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “militate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for militate is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɪlɪteɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for militate, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1598; borrowed from Latin mīlitātus, perfect passive participle from mīlitō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Semantically from its cognate, French militer. The correct English form is militate, spelled M-I-L-I-T-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To give force or effect toward; to influence.
- 2To serve as a soldier or participate in warfare.
Etymology
First attested in 1598; borrowed from Latin mīlitātus, perfect passive participle from mīlitō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Semantically from its cognate, French militer.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “militate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-I-L-I-T-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɪlɪteɪt/ (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
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.