reverberate

/ɹɪˈvɜːbəˌɹeɪt/

//ɹɪˈvɜːbəˌɹeɪt// verb

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

Detailed reference entry for the English word "reverberate", 11-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "reverberate" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "reverberate" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

The verdict

“reverberate” is an uncommon English word, ranked #67,793 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#67,793
frequency rank, English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) — To cause (a sound) to be (repeatedly) bounced against one or more surfaces; to re-echo.

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Key facts for reverberate
PropertyValue
Headwordreverberate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈvɜːbəˌɹeɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#67,793
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “reverberate” 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). reverberate lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for reverberate is 11 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈvɜːbəˌɹeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #67,793 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for reverberate in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin reverberātus, perfect passive participle of reverberō (“to rebound; to reflect; to repel”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), whence Middle French reverberer (French réverbérer) and Middle English reverberen (“to send back”)), from re- (p… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is reverberate, spelled R-E-V-E-R-B-E-R-A-T-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause (a sound) to be (repeatedly) bounced against one or more surfaces; to re-echo.
  2. 2
    Followed by on (to): to deflect or divert (flames, heat, etc.) on to something.
  3. 3
    To heat (something) by deflecting flames on to, or passing flames over, it.
  4. 4
    To repeatedly reflect (heat, light, or other radiation).
  5. 5
    To drive, force, or push (someone or something) back; to repel, to repulse.
  6. 6
    To send (something) back from where it came.
  7. 7
    Of light or sound: to fall on or hit (a surface or other thing); also, to fill or spread throughout (a space or other thing).
  8. 8
    To beat or hit (something) repeatedly.
  9. 9
    Of sound: to (repeatedly) bounce against one or more surfaces; to echo or re-echo, to resound.
  10. 10
    Chiefly followed by to or with: of a place or thing: to ring or vibrate with many echoing sounds; to re-echo, to resound.
  11. 11
    Often followed by from: of heat or (less commonly) light: to be (repeatedly) reflected.
  12. 12
    Of information, news, etc.: to be spread widely through repetition.
  13. 13
    Of a thing: to have lasting and often significant effects.
  14. 14
    Of a thing: to be heated by having flames, hot gases, etc., deflected or passed over it.
  15. 15
    To deflect or divert flames, hot gases, etc., on or into something.
  16. 16
    To shine on something, especially with reflected light.
  17. 17
    Of a thing: to (repeatedly) bounce against one or more surfaces, especially with a sound; to rebound, to recoil.
  18. 18
    Followed by on or upon, or to: of a thing: to return and affect a person, their feelings, etc.; to recoil.
  19. 19
    Followed by in and a reflexive pronoun: of a thing: to turn back on itself.
  20. 20
    Of a furnace, kiln, etc.: to heat up through the effect of flames, hot gases, etc., deflecting within it.
  21. 21
    To heat something by deflecting flames on to, or passing flames over, it.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin reverberātus, perfect passive participle of reverberō (“to rebound; to reflect; to repel”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), whence Middle French reverberer (French réverbérer) and Middle English reverberen (“to send back”)), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) and verberō (“to beat; to lash, whip”) (from verber (“rod; lash, whip”) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

This word in other languages

reverberar(Español)réverbérer(Français)nachhallen(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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “reverberate, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/reverberate

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "reverberate"?
"reverberate" is spelled R-E-V-E-R-B-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈvɜːbəˌɹeɪt/.
What does "reverberate" mean?
As a verb, "reverberate" means: To cause (a sound) to be (repeatedly) bounced against one or more surfaces; to re-echo.
How do you pronounce "reverberate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reverberate" is /ɹɪˈvɜːbəˌɹeɪt/. 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 "reverberate"?
Borrowed from Latin reverberātus, perfect passive participle of reverberō (“to rebound; to reflect; to repel”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), whence Middle French reverberer (French réverbérer) and Middle English reverberen (“to send back”)), f... 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 “reverberate”

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

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

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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