participate

/pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/

//pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt// verb

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

"participate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“participate” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,518. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,518
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).

Corpus desk

Index EN-participate · participate · English

participate · rank #3,518 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,518
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH ordinary

Nearest frequency peer: ordinary (-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 “participate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “participate” 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).

participate vs participle
82% similar
participate vs particulate
82% similar
participate vs participant
82% similar

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

Key facts for participate
PropertyValue
Headwordparticipate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#3,518
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “participate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).participatelands 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 “ordinary” (#3,517), “Philadelphia” (#3,519), “op” (#3,516). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “participate” is #3,518. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around participate (IPA /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,518 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for participate, with forms such as "aprticipate", "paritcipate", and "parrticipate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "participle", "particulate", "participant", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin participātus, the perfect passive participle of participō (“to take part in, share in, give part in, impart”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from particeps (“taking part (in), sharing (in); someone … The correct English form is participate, spelled P-A-R-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
  2. 2
    To share, to take part in (something).
  3. 3
    To share (something) with others; to transfer (something) to or unto others.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For the second year, foreign amateur runners were allowed to participate in a 10-kilometer race, a half-marathon or a full marathon in Pyongyang, the capital. The races were a part of the April 15 birthday celebration of Kim Il-sung, the former leader of North Korea and father of his successors: Kim Jong-il, a son, and Kim Jong-un, a grandson.
  2. A spirit I am indeed; But am in that dimension grossly clad Which from the womb I did participate.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin participātus, the perfect passive participle of participō (“to take part in, share in, give part in, impart”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from particeps (“taking part (in), sharing (in); someone who takes part (in)”, particip- in compounds), from pars (“part”, part- in compounds) + -ceps (“which takes, taker”), literally “(someone) who takes part”; see part and capable. Compare Old English dǣlniman (“to participate”), an earlier calque of the same Latin verb.

This word in other languages

participar(Español)prendre part(Français)teilnehmen(Deutsch)participar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aprticipate
  • paritcipate
  • parrticipate
  • partciipate
  • particcipate
  • particiapte
  • participaet
  • participatte
  • particippate
  • participtae
  • particpiate
  • partiicpate
  • partticipate
  • patricipate
  • pparticipate
  • praticipate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aprticipate2paritcipate2parrticipate1partciipate2particcipate1particiapte2participaet2participatte1
Edit distance from "participate"

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 "participate"?
"participate" is spelled P-A-R-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/.
What does "participate" mean?
As a verb, "participate" means: To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
What words are commonly confused with "participate"?
"participate" is commonly confused with "participle", "particulate", "participant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "participate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "participate" is /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/. 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 "participate"?
Borrowed from Latin participātus, the perfect passive participle of participō (“to take part in, share in, give part in, impart”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from particeps (“taking part (in), sharing (in)... 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 "participate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

essentially#3,489inspiration#3,564institution#3,565electricity#3,426

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

principles16 variantsdisappointed16 variantsafterwards16 variantsconclusion16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list