salivate

/ˈsælɪveɪt/

//ˈsælɪveɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“salivate” is uncommon English (frequency #82,749 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,749
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To produce saliva.

Corpus desk

Index EN-salivate · salivate · English

salivate · rank #82,749 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,749
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Salta

Nearest frequency peer: Salta (+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 “salivate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for salivate
PropertyValue
Headwordsalivate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsælɪveɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#82,749
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “salivate” 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).salivatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Salta” (#82,750), “saguaro” (#82,747), “safflower” (#82,746). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “salivate” is #82,749. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

salivate is uncommon English at frequency #82,749 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈsælɪveɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for salivate in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare (“to spit out, also salivate”), from saliva (“spittle”). The correct English form is salivate, spelled S-A-L-I-V-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To produce saliva.
  2. 2
    To show eager anticipation at the expectation of something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He's been salivating over the latest model sports car for a while now.

Etymology

From Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare (“to spit out, also salivate”), from saliva (“spittle”).

This word in other languages

salivar(Español)saliver(Français)speicheln(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 "salivate"?
"salivate" is spelled S-A-L-I-V-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsælɪveɪt/.
What does "salivate" mean?
As a verb, "salivate" means: To produce saliva.
How do you pronounce "salivate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "salivate" is /ˈsælɪveɪt/. 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 "salivate"?
From Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare (“to spit out, also salivate”), from saliva (“spittle”). 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 "salivate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Sassuolo#82,753Schlafly#82,757scraggly#82,760roofline#82,736

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list