orate
/ɔːˈɹeɪt/verb, adjective
orate is spelled O-R-A-T-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, orate means “To speak formally; to give a speech” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in orate?
| Letters | 5: O-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 32 million words; the 173,967th 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; 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 orate?
Orate appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th 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 orate?
- UK /ɔːˈɹeɪt/
- UK /ɒɹˈeɪt/
- UK /əˈɹeɪt/
Orate has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-orate.ogg, En-us-orate-2.ogg, En-au-orate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with orate?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as orate from its last stressed vowel (/eɪt/, 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 orate
- orates present, singular, he/she/it
- orating participle, present
- orated participle, past
- more orate comparative
- most orate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does orate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To speak formally; to give a speech.
- 2
To speak passionately; to preach for or against something.
adjective
- 1
Competent in oracy; having good speaking skills.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Orate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | discourir, pontifier, délivrer un laïus, laïusser, disserter, pérorer |
| Spanish | disertar, perorar, pontificar , arengar, sermonear, vituperar |
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 orate come from?
Partly borrowed from Latin ōrātus, perfect passive participle of ōrō (“to speak; to pray”) and/or partly back-formation from oration, from Latin ōrātiō (“speech, discourse, oration”); either way, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, Latin or- + -ate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).