# navigate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/ · frequency rank #11,571

## Definitions
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. To give directions, as from a map, to someone driving a vehicle.
3. To travel over water in a ship; to sail.
4. To move between web pages, menus, etc. by means of hyperlinks, mouse clicks, or any other mechanism.
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **navigator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/navigate-vs-navigator)
- **navigable** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/navigable-vs-navigate)

## Common misspellings (11)
`anvigate`, `naivgate`, `navgiate`, `naviagte`, `navigaet`, `navigatte`, `naviggate`, `navigtae`, `navvigate`, `nnavigate`, `nvaigate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/navigate