principate
/ˈpɹɪns.əˌpeɪt/
"principate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“principate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The early period of the Roman Empire, during which some characteristics of the government of the Roman Republic were retained; the reign of any particular emperor during said period.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | principate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹɪns.əˌpeɪt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “principate” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
principate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɹɪns.əˌpeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
principate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin prīncipātus, referring to the titles prīnceps senātūs (“first among senators”) and prīnceps cīvitātis (“first among citizens”), adopted by Octavian Caesar Augustus in order to preserve the illusion of formal continuance of some … The correct English form is principate, spelled P-R-I-N-C-I-P-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1The early period of the Roman Empire, during which some characteristics of the government of the Roman Republic were retained; the reign of any particular emperor during said period.
- 2The office of one who is principal or preeminent (such as a prince); the quality or status of being principal; preeminence.
- 3A state ruled by a prince; a principality.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin prīncipātus, referring to the titles prīnceps senātūs (“first among senators”) and prīnceps cīvitātis (“first among citizens”), adopted by Octavian Caesar Augustus in order to preserve the illusion of formal continuance of some aspects of the Roman Republic.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “principate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-I-N-C-I-P-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹɪns.əˌpeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.