navigate

/ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/

//ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“navigate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,571 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#11,571
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To plan, control and record the position and course of a vehicle, ship, aircraft, etc., on a journey; to follow a planned course.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

navigate vs navigator
78% similar
navigate vs navigable
78% similar

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

Key facts for navigate
PropertyValue
Headwordnavigate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,571
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “navigate” 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). navigate 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 navigate is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,571 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 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 navigate, with forms such as "anvigate", "naivgate", and "navgiate". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "navigator", "navigable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1588; borrowed from Latin nāvigātus, the perfect passive participle of nāvigō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from nāvis (“ship”) + -igō, from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“boat”). The correct English form is navigate, spelled N-A-V-I-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To plan, control and record the position and course of a vehicle, ship, aircraft, etc., on a journey; to follow a planned course.
  2. 2
    To give directions, as from a map, to someone driving a vehicle.
  3. 3
    To travel over water in a ship; to sail.
  4. 4
    To move between web pages, menus, etc. by means of hyperlinks, mouse clicks, or any other mechanism.
  5. 5
    To find a way through a difficult situation or process.

Etymology

First attested in 1588; borrowed from Latin nāvigātus, the perfect passive participle of nāvigō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from nāvis (“ship”) + -igō, from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“boat”).

This word in other languages

navegar(Español)naviguer(Français)steuern(Deutsch)navegar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: anvigate,naivgate,navgiate,naviagte,navigaet,navigatte,naviggate,navigtae,navvigate,nnavigate,nvaigate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of navigate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

anvigate2naivgate2navgiate2naviagte2navigaet2navigatte1naviggate1navigtae2
Edit distance from "navigate"

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 "navigate"?
"navigate" is spelled N-A-V-I-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/.
What does "navigate" mean?
As a verb, "navigate" means: To plan, control and record the position and course of a vehicle, ship, aircraft, etc., on a journey; to follow a planned course.
What words are commonly confused with "navigate"?
"navigate" is commonly confused with "navigator", "navigable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "navigate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "navigate" is /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/. 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 "navigate"?
First attested in 1588; borrowed from Latin nāvigātus, the perfect passive participle of nāvigō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from nāvis (“ship”) + -igō, from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“boat”). 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 “navigate”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is N-A-V-I-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “navigator” - see the side-by-side comparison. navigate vs navigator
  • 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