motivate
/ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/verb
motivate is spelled M-O-T-I-V-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, motivate means “To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in motivate?
| Letters | 8: M-O-T-I-V-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words; the 12,940th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is motivate?
Motivate appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce motivate?
- UK /ˈməʊ.tɪ.veɪt/
- US /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/
- US [ˈmoʊ.ɾɪ.veɪt]
Motivate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-motivate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with motivate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as motivate from its last stressed vowel (/oʊtɪveɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of motivate
- motivates present, singular, he/she/it
- motivating participle, present
- motivated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does motivate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate.
The weekly staff meeting was meant to motivate employees.
- 2
To animate; to propel; to cause to take action.
He was motivated purely by self-interest.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Motivate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to encourage:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | motiver |
| German | motivieren |
| Portuguese | motivar |
| Spanish | motivar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does motivate come from?
From motive + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French motiver.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).