precipitate

/pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/

//pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“precipitate” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,107
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make something happen suddenly and quickly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-precipitate · precipitate · English

precipitate · rank #38,107 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,107
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH principality

Nearest frequency peer: principality (+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 “precipitate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “precipitate” 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
Key facts for precipitate
PropertyValue
Headwordprecipitate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#38,107
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “precipitate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).precipitatelands 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 “principality” (#38,108), “polygraph” (#38,105), “plenum” (#38,104). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “precipitate” is #38,107. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around precipitate (IPA /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #38,107 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for precipitate, with forms such as "percipitate", "pprecipitate", and "prceipitate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin praecipitātus, perfect passive participle of praecipitō (“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”) (praecipit- in its oblique stem), from prae (“before”) + -ceps … The correct English form is precipitate, spelled P-R-E-C-I-P-I-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make something happen suddenly and quickly.
  2. 2
    To throw an object or person from a great height.
  3. 3
    To send violently into a certain state or condition.
  4. 4
    (chemistry) To come out of a liquid solution into solid form.
  5. 5
    (chemistry) To separate a substance out of a liquid solution into solid form.
  6. 6
    To have water in the air fall to the ground, for example as rain, snow, sleet, or hail; be deposited as condensed droplets.
  7. 7
    To cause (water in the air) to condense or fall to the ground.
  8. 8
    To fall headlong.
  9. 9
    To act too hastily; to be precipitous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to precipitate a journey, or a conflict
  2. it precipitated their success

Etymology

From Latin praecipitātus, perfect passive participle of praecipitō (“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”) (praecipit- in its oblique stem), from prae (“before”) + -ceps (“headed”).

Synonyms

headlong

This word in other languages

arrojar(Español)précipiter(Français)vorantreiben(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • percipitate
  • pprecipitate
  • prceipitate
  • preccipitate
  • preciiptate
  • precipiatte
  • precipitaet
  • precipitatte
  • precipittae
  • precipittate
  • precippitate
  • preciptiate
  • precpiitate
  • preicpitate
  • prrecipitate
  • rpecipitate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of precipitate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

percipitate2pprecipitate1prceipitate2preccipitate1preciiptate2precipiatte2precipitaet2precipitatte1
Edit distance from "precipitate"

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 "precipitate"?
"precipitate" is spelled P-R-E-C-I-P-I-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/.
What does "precipitate" mean?
As a verb, "precipitate" means: To make something happen suddenly and quickly.
What are common misspellings of "precipitate"?
Common misspellings include "percipitate", "pprecipitate", "prceipitate", "preccipitate", "preciiptate". The correct spelling is "precipitate".
How do you pronounce "precipitate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "precipitate" is /pɹɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/. 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 "precipitate"?
From Latin praecipitātus, perfect passive participle of praecipitō (“throw down, hurl down, throw headlong”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from praeceps (“head foremost, headlong”) (praecipit- in its oblique stem), from prae (“before”... 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 "precipitate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

reciprocate#38,126oscillating#38,082Oktoberfest#38,075modernizing#38,057

Similar misspelling depth

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

pestilence16 variantsrecklessness16 variantsmismatched16 variantssketchbook16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list