promulgate

/ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt/

//ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt// verb

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

"promulgate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“promulgate” is uncommon English (frequency #67,751 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,751
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make known or make public.

Corpus desk

Index EN-promulgate · promulgate · English

promulgate · rank #67,751 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,751
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH profuse

Nearest frequency peer: profuse (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “promulgate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “promulgate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for promulgate
PropertyValue
Headwordpromulgate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#67,751
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “promulgate” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).promulgatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “profuse” (#67,750), “prosody” (#67,752), “pressurization” (#67,749). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “promulgate” is #67,751. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

promulgate is uncommon English at frequency #67,751 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for promulgate in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English promulgaten, from Latin prōmulgātus, perfect passive participle of prōmulgō (“to make known, publish”), either from provulgō (“to make known, publish”), from pro (“forth”) + vulgō (“to publish”), or from mulgeō (“to bring forth… The correct English form is promulgate, spelled P-R-O-M-U-L-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make known or make public.
  2. 2
    To put into effect as a regulation.
  3. 3
    To advocate on behalf of (something or someone, especially of an idea); to spread knowledge of and make more widely known.
  4. 4
    past participle of promulgate

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ’Tis yet to know, / Which when I know, that boaſting is an Honour, / I ſhall promulgate. I fetch by life and being, / From Men of Royall Seige.
  2. Prieſts have invented, and the world admir’d / What knaviſh prieſts promulgate as inſpir’d ; / ’Till reaſon, now no longer overaw’d, / Reſumes her pow’rs, and ſpurns the clumſy fraud ; / And, common-ſenſe diffuſing real day, / The meteor of the goſpel dies away !

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English promulgaten, from Latin prōmulgātus, perfect passive participle of prōmulgō (“to make known, publish”), either from provulgō (“to make known, publish”), from pro (“forth”) + vulgō (“to publish”), or from mulgeō (“to bring forth”, literally “to milk”); see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Doublet of promulge.

This word in other languages

promulgar(Español)promulguer(Français)verkünden(Deutsch)promulgar(Português)

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 "promulgate"?
"promulgate" is spelled P-R-O-M-U-L-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt/.
What does "promulgate" mean?
As a verb, "promulgate" means: To make known or make public.
How do you pronounce "promulgate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "promulgate" is /ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt/. 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 "promulgate"?
Inherited from Middle English promulgaten, from Latin prōmulgātus, perfect passive participle of prōmulgō (“to make known, publish”), either from provulgō (“to make known, publish”), from pro (“forth”) + vulgō (“to publish”), or from mulgeō (“to b... 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 "promulgate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

poignantly#67,739plexiglass#67,738pawnbroker#67,718ontologies#67,704

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list