negate

/nɪˈɡeɪt/

//nɪˈɡeɪt// verb

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

"negate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“negate” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,756. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,756
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict.

Corpus desk

Index EN-negate · negate · English

negate · rank #29,756 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,756
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NEA

Nearest frequency peer: NEA (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “negate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “negate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

negate vs negated
86% similar
negate vs negative
75% similar
negate vs neat
67% similar

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

Key facts for negate
PropertyValue
Headwordnegate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/nɪˈɡeɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#29,756
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “negate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).negatelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “NEA” (#29,755), “NN” (#29,758), “Nagasaki” (#29,753). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “negate” is #29,756. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around negate (IPA /nɪˈɡeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #29,756 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict.
  2. 2
    To nullify or cause to be ineffective.
  3. 3
    To be negative; bring or cause negative results.
  4. 4
    To perform the NOT operation on.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how negate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The investigation tending to negate any supernatural influences.
  2. Progress on the study has been negated by the lack of funds.

Etymology

From Latin negātus, perfect passive participle of negō (“to deny, refuse, decline”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

negar(Español)nier(Français)negieren(Deutsch)

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.

engate2neagte2negaet2negatte1neggate1negtae2ngeate2nnegate1
Edit distance from "negate"

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 "negate"?
"negate" is spelled N-E-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /nɪˈɡeɪt/.
What does "negate" mean?
As a verb, "negate" means: To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict.
What words are commonly confused with "negate"?
"negate" is commonly confused with "negated", "negative", "neat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "negate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "negate" is /nɪˈɡeɪt/. 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 "negate"?
From Latin negātus, perfect passive participle of negō (“to deny, refuse, decline”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "negate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Motown#29,751millet#29,742Ludlow#29,726locale#29,724

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

leeway8 variantspunks8 variantskamala8 variantsrecoup8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list