relegate

/ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/

//ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“relegate” is uncommon English (frequency #55,051 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,051
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exile, banish, remove, or send away.

Corpus desk

Index EN-relegate · relegate · English

relegate · rank #55,051 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,051
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reflectance

Nearest frequency peer: reflectance (-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 “relegate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for relegate
PropertyValue
Headwordrelegate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,051
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “relegate” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).relegatefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “reflectance” (#55,050), “ratty” (#55,047), “randomization” (#55,046). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “relegate” is #55,051. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

relegate is uncommon English at frequency #55,051 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for relegate in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (“to dispatch, banish”). The correct English form is relegate, spelled R-E-L-E-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exile, banish, remove, or send away.
  2. 2
    Exile, banish, remove, or send away.
  3. 3
    Exile, banish, remove, or send away.
  4. 4
    Exile, banish, remove, or send away.
  5. 5
    Consign or assign.
  6. 6
    Consign or assign.
  7. 7
    Consign or assign.
  8. 8
    Refer or submit.
  9. 9
    Refer or submit.
  10. 10
    Refer or submit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Eventually his freedom of speech drove Vespasian to relegate him a second time, and shortly after he was executed […].
  2. Her bright ideas were relegated to "tosh" by her manager.

Etymology

First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (“to dispatch, banish”).

This word in other languages

relegar(Español)reléguer(Français)verbannen(Deutsch)

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 "relegate"?
"relegate" is spelled R-E-L-E-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/.
What does "relegate" mean?
As a verb, "relegate" means: Exile, banish, remove, or send away.
How do you pronounce "relegate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "relegate" is /ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/. 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 "relegate"?
First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (“to dispatch, banish”). 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 "relegate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

quotable#55,044resettle#55,058quenched#55,043pyruvate#55,039

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list