pyruvate

/pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt/

//pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt// noun

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

"pyruvate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pyruvate” is uncommon English (frequency #55,039 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,039
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any salt or ester of pyruvic acid.

Key facts for pyruvate
PropertyValue
Headwordpyruvate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,039
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pyruvate” 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). pyruvate lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

pyruvate is uncommon English at frequency #55,039 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any salt or ester of pyruvic acid.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for pyruvate in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pyruvic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”). The correct English form is pyruvate, spelled P-Y-R-U-V-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any salt or ester of pyruvic acid.

Etymology

From pyruvic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).

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 "pyruvate"?
"pyruvate" is spelled P-Y-R-U-V-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt/.
What does "pyruvate" mean?
As a noun, "pyruvate" means: Any salt or ester of pyruvic acid.
How do you pronounce "pyruvate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pyruvate" is /pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt/. 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 "pyruvate"?
From pyruvic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”). 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 “pyruvate”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-Y-R-U-V-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pʌɪˈɹuː.veɪt/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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