negate
/nɪˈɡeɪt/
"negate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“negate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,756 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #29,756
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict.
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 | negate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /nɪˈɡeɪt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #29,756 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “negate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for negate is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /nɪˈɡeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,756 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 negate, with forms such as "engate", "neagte", and "negaet". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "negated", "negative", "neat", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin negātus, perfect passive participle of negō (“to deny, refuse, decline”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is negate, spelled N-E-G-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict.
- 2To nullify or cause to be ineffective.
- 3To be negative; bring or cause negative results.
- 4To perform the NOT operation on.
Etymology
From Latin negātus, perfect passive participle of negō (“to deny, refuse, decline”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: engate,neagte,negaet,negatte,neggate,negtae,ngeate,nnegate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of negate - 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
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Using “negate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-E-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /nɪˈɡeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “negated” - see the side-by-side comparison. negate vs negated
- 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.