saturate
/ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/
"saturate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“saturate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,033 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #49,033
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | saturate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #49,033 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “saturate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for saturate is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,033 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for saturate, with forms such as "asturate", "satruate", and "satturate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "saturated", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in the second part of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English, the verb in 1538, the noun in 1921; inherited from Middle English saturat(e) (“satiated, satisfied”), borrowed from Latin saturātus, perfect passive participle of sat… The correct English form is saturate, spelled S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).
- 2To fill thoroughly or to excess.
- 3To satisfy the affinity of; to cause a substance to become inert by chemical combination with all that it can hold.
- 4To render pure, or of a colour free from white light.
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in the second part of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English, the verb in 1538, the noun in 1921; inherited from Middle English saturat(e) (“satiated, satisfied”), borrowed from Latin saturātus, perfect passive participle of saturō (“to fill, satisfy, quench”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from satur (“full”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: asturate,satruate,satturate,satuarte,saturaet,saturatte,saturrate,saturtae,sautrate,ssaturate,staurate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of saturate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "saturate"?
What does "saturate" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "saturate"?
How do you pronounce "saturate"?
What is the origin of the word "saturate"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “saturate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “saturated” - see the side-by-side comparison. saturate vs saturated
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.