narrate
/nəˈɹeɪt/
"narrate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“narrate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,586 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #37,586
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To relate (a story or series of events) in speech or writing.
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 | narrate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /nəˈɹeɪt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #37,586 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “narrate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for narrate is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nəˈɹeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,586 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 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 narrate, with forms such as "anrrate", "nararte", and "narate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "nitrate", "narrator", "narrated", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: In English (recorded only since 1656, but until the 19th century stigmatized as 'Scottish') apparently from narration. The correct English form is narrate, spelled N-A-R-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To relate (a story or series of events) in speech or writing.
- 2To give an account.
Etymology
In English (recorded only since 1656, but until the 19th century stigmatized as 'Scottish') apparently from narration.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: anrrate,nararte,narate,narraet,narratte,narrtae,nnarrate,nrarate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of narrate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "narrate"?
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Using “narrate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-A-R-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /nəˈɹeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “nitrate” - see the side-by-side comparison. narrate vs nitrate
- 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.