# populate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈpɒp.jʊˌleɪt/ · frequency rank #34,228

## Definitions
1. To supply with inhabitants; to people.
2. To live in; to inhabit.
3. To increase in number; to breed.
4. To fill initially empty items in a collection.
5. To fill initially empty slots or sockets on a circuit board or similar.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin populātus, past participle of populor (“populate”), from Latin populus (“people”).

## Easily confused with
- **postulate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/populate-vs-postulate)
- **popular** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/popular-vs-populate)
- **populace** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/populace-vs-populate)

## Common misspellings (11)
`oppulate`, `popluate`, `poppulate`, `popualte`, `populaet`, `populatte`, `popullate`, `popultae`, `pouplate`, `ppopulate`, `ppoulate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/populate