palate

/ˈpæl.ət/

//ˈpæl.ət// noun

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

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

The verdict

“palate” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,387. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,387
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the mouth and nose in vertebrates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-palate · palate · English

palate · rank #18,387 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,387
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pacing

Nearest frequency peer: pacing (-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 “palate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “palate” 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).

palate vs pale
67% similar
palate vs plat
67% similar
palate vs pate
67% similar

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

Key facts for palate
PropertyValue
Headwordpalate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæl.ət/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,387
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “palate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).palatelands 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 “pacing” (#18,386), “pancake” (#18,388), “outspoken” (#18,385). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “palate” is #18,387. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around palate (IPA /ˈpæl.ət/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,387 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for palate, with forms such as "aplate", "paalte", and "palaet". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pale", "plat", "pate", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English palate, from Latin palātum (“roof of the mouth, palate”), perhaps of Etruscan origin. The correct English form is palate, spelled P-A-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the mouth and nose in vertebrates.
  2. 2
    The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the mouth and nose in vertebrates.
  3. 3
    The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the mouth and nose in vertebrates.
  4. 4
    The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the mouth and nose in vertebrates.
  5. 5
    A person's ability to distinguish between and appreciate different flavors.
  6. 6
    Mental relish; a liking or affinity for something.
  7. 7
    Taste or flavour, especially with reference to wine or other alcoholic drinks.
  8. 8
    A dainty article of food.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I remember, when he was in Scotland, his praising ‘Gordon's palates’ (a dish of palates at the Honourable Alexander Gordon's) with a warmth of expression which might have done for honour to more important subjects.
  2. Hard task! to hit the palate of such guests.

Etymology

From Middle English palate, from Latin palātum (“roof of the mouth, palate”), perhaps of Etruscan origin.

This word in other languages

paladar(Español)palais(Français)Gaumen(Deutsch)palato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aplate
  • paalte
  • palaet
  • palatte
  • pallate
  • paltae
  • plaate
  • ppalate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aplate2paalte2palaet2palatte1pallate1paltae2plaate2ppalate1
Edit distance from "palate"

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 "palate"?
"palate" is spelled P-A-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæl.ət/.
What does "palate" mean?
As a noun, "palate" means: The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the mouth and nose in vertebrates.
What words are commonly confused with "palate"?
"palate" is commonly confused with "pale", "plat", "pate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "palate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "palate" is /ˈpæl.ət/. 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 "palate"?
From Middle English palate, from Latin palātum (“roof of the mouth, palate”), perhaps of Etruscan origin. 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 "palate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pacing#18,386nigger#18,375ponder#18,399muffin#18,373

Similar misspelling depth

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

pennies8 variantsphony8 variantsMoreno8 variantsPrussia8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list