perpetuate
per·pet·u·ate/pɚˈpɛt͡ʃəˌweɪt/verb, adjective
perpetuate is spelled P-E-R-P-E-T-U-A-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables (per·pet·u·ate). It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, perpetuate means “To make (something) perpetual; to make (something) continue for an indefinite time; also, to preserve (something) from extinction or oblivion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in perpetuate?
| Letters | 10: P-E-R-P-E-T-U-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: per·pet·u·ate |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is perpetuate?
Perpetuate appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st 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 perpetuate?
- UK /pəˈpɛt͡ʃʊeɪt/
- UK /-ˈpɛtjueɪt/
- US /pɚˈpɛt͡ʃəˌweɪt/
As an adjective (“Perpetual, or made perpetual; continued for an indefinite…”): /pəˈpɛt͡ʃʊət/, /pəˈpɛtjʊət/, /pɚˈpɛt͡ʃəˌweɪt/.
Perpetuate has 4 syllables, split per·pet·u·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-perpetuate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-perpetuate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of perpetuate
- perpetuates present, singular, he/she/it
- perpetuating participle, present
- perpetuated participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perpetuate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make (something) perpetual; to make (something) continue for an indefinite time; also, to preserve (something) from extinction or oblivion.
- 2
To record (the testimony of a witness) which may be lost before a matter comes to trial.
- 3
To prolong the existence of (something) by repetition; to reinforce.
adjective
- 1
Perpetual, or made perpetual; continued for an indefinite time.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perpetuate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perpétuer, pérenniser , maintenir |
| German | perpetuieren, verewigen , aufrechterhalten, bestendigen, festschreiben |
| Portuguese | perpetuar |
| Spanish | perpetuar |
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.