negotiate
/nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/verb
negotiate is spelled N-E-G-O-T-I-A-T-E: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, negotiate means “To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in negotiate?
| Letters | 9: N-E-G-O-T-I-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is negotiate?
Negotiate appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce negotiate?
- UK /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
- UK /nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
- UK /nɪˈɡəʊ.si.eɪt/
Negotiate has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-negotiate.ogg, En-au-negotiate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with negotiate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as negotiate from its last stressed vowel (/əʊʃieɪt/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of negotiate
- negotiates present, singular, he/she/it
- negotiating participle, present
- negotiated participle, past
- negociate
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does negotiate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement.
- 2
To arrange or settle something by mutual agreement.
We negotiated the contract to everyone's satisfaction.
- 3
To succeed in coping with, getting over or navigate a hazard or obstacle.
We negotiated the mountain track with difficulty.
- 4
To transfer to another person with all the rights of the original holder; to pass, as a bill.
- 5
obsoleteTo transact business; to carry on trade.
- 6
obsoleteTo intrigue; to scheme.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Negotiate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | négocier |
| German | verhandeln , aushandeln , überwinden |
| Portuguese | negociar |
| Spanish | negociar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does negotiate come from?
c. 1598; borrowed from Latin negōtiātus, perfect active participle of negōtior (“to do business, trade”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from negotium (“business”) + -or, from nec (“not”) + otium (“leisure, ease, inactivity”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).