plate

/ˈpleɪ̯t/

//ˈpleɪ̯t// noun

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

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

The verdict

“plate” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,751 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,751
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A slightly curved but almost flat dish from which food is served or eaten.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

plate vs play
60% similar
plate vs plot
60% similar
plate vs prat
60% similar

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

Key facts for plate
PropertyValue
Headwordplate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpleɪ̯t/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,751
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “plate” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for plate is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpleɪ̯t/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,751 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 37 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for plate, with forms such as "lpate", "palte", and "plaet". 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, "play", "plot", "prat", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English plate, from Old French plate, from Medieval Latin plata, from Vulgar Latin *plat(t)us, from Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús, “broad, flat, wide”). Compare Spanish plato. (foot): Cockney rhyming slang, from "plates of meat" for "feet". The correct English form is plate, spelled P-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A slightly curved but almost flat dish from which food is served or eaten.
  2. 2
    Such dishes collectively.
  3. 3
    The contents of such a dish.
  4. 4
    A course at a meal.
  5. 5
    An agenda of tasks, problems, or responsibilities
  6. 6
    A flat object of uniform thickness.
  7. 7
    Vehicle license plates, registration plates.
  8. 8
    A taxi permit, especially of a metal disc.
  9. 9
    Plate armor.
  10. 10
    A layer of a material on the surface of something, usually qualified by the type of the material; plating
  11. 11
    A material covered with such a layer.
  12. 12
    An ornamental or food service item coated with silver or gold or otherwise decorated.
  13. 13
    A weighted disk, usually of metal, with a hole in the center for use with a barbell, dumbbell, or exercise machine.
  14. 14
    An engraved surface used to transfer an image to paper.
  15. 15
    An image or copy.
  16. 16
    An illustration in a book, either black and white, or colour, usually on a page of paper of different quality from the text pages.
  17. 17
    A shaped and fitted surface, usually ceramic or metal that fits into the mouth and in which teeth are implanted; a dental plate.
  18. 18
    A horizontal framing member at the top or bottom of a group of vertical studs.
  19. 19
    A person's foot.
  20. 20
    Home plate.
  21. 21
    A tectonic plate.
  22. 22
    Any of various larger scales found in some reptiles.
  23. 23
    A flat electrode such as can be found in an accumulator battery, or in an electrolysis tank.
  24. 24
    The anode of a vacuum tube.
  25. 25
    A prize given to the winner in a contest.
  26. 26
    Any flat piece of material such as coated glass or plastic.
  27. 27
    A metallic card, used to imprint tickets with an airline's logo, name, and numeric code.
  28. 28
    The ability of a travel agent to issue tickets on behalf of a particular airline.
  29. 29
    A VIN plate, particularly with regard to the car's year of manufacture.
  30. 30
    One of the thin parts of the brisket of an animal.
  31. 31
    A very light steel horseshoe for racehorses.
  32. 32
    Skins for fur linings of garments, sewn together and roughly shaped, but not finally cut or fitted.
  33. 33
    The fine nap (as of beaver, musquash, etc.) on a hat whose body is made from inferior material.
  34. 34
    A record, usually vinyl.
  35. 35
    trauma plate.
  36. 36
    Any of the potential romantic or sexual partners with whom a person keeps in touch as part of plate spinning.
  37. 37
    A Lego piece that is thin, 1/3 the height of a brick, and has studs on top.

Etymology

From Middle English plate, from Old French plate, from Medieval Latin plata, from Vulgar Latin *plat(t)us, from Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús, “broad, flat, wide”). Compare Spanish plato. (foot): Cockney rhyming slang, from "plates of meat" for "feet".

This word in other languages

plato(Español)assiette(Français)Teller(Deutsch)prato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpate,palte,plaet,pllate,pltae,pplate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of plate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lpate2palte2plaet2pllate1pltae2pplate1
Edit distance from "plate"

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 "plate"?
"plate" is spelled P-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpleɪ̯t/.
What does "plate" mean?
As a noun, "plate" means: A slightly curved but almost flat dish from which food is served or eaten.
What words are commonly confused with "plate"?
"plate" is commonly confused with "play", "plot", "prat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plate" is /ˈpleɪ̯t/. 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 "plate"?
From Middle English plate, from Old French plate, from Medieval Latin plata, from Vulgar Latin *plat(t)us, from Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús, “broad, flat, wide”). Compare Spanish plato. (foot): Cockney rhyming slang, from "plates of meat" for "fe... 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.

Using “plate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-L-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpleɪ̯t/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “play” - see the side-by-side comparison. plate vs play
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list