ovate

/ˈəʊ.veɪt/

//ˈəʊ.veɪt// adj

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

"ovate" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ovate” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,398. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,398
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Shaped like an egg.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ovate · ovate · English

ovate · rank #48,398 · 6 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,398
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH ould

Nearest frequency peer: ould (-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 “ovate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ovate” 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).

ovate vs ova
60% similar
ovate vs oat
60% similar
ovate vs oval
60% similar

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

Key facts for ovate
PropertyValue
Headwordovate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈəʊ.veɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#48,398
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ovate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ovatelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “ould” (#48,397), “orthography” (#48,396), “Onondaga” (#48,395). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ovate” is #48,398. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around ovate (IPA /ˈəʊ.veɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #48,398 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for ovate, with forms such as "oavte", "ovaet", and "ovatte". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "ova", "oat", "oval", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). The correct English form is ovate, spelled O-V-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Shaped like an egg.
  2. 2
    With the broadest extremity near the base.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The Geese, Anserinæ, have the body ovate, the head small, the bill stout and somewhat conical; the legs rather long; the wings of great length and breadth.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Synonyms

egg-shapedovoid

This word in other languages

aovada(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oavte
  • ovaet
  • ovatte
  • ovtae
  • ovvate
  • voate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ovate - 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.

oavte2ovaet2ovatte1ovtae2ovvate1voate2
Edit distance from "ovate"

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 "ovate"?
"ovate" is spelled O-V-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊ.veɪt/.
What does "ovate" mean?
As an adjective, "ovate" means: Shaped like an egg.
What words are commonly confused with "ovate"?
"ovate" is commonly confused with "ova", "oat", "oval". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ovate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ovate" is /ˈəʊ.veɪt/. 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 "ovate"?
Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-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 "ovate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

peasy#48,405Nanda#48,374prude#48,430Minot#48,358

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Mehr6 variantsMassie6 variantsLolol6 variantsRyde6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list