saturate

/ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/

//ˈsatjʊɹeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“saturate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,033. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,033
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).

Corpus desk

Index EN-saturate · saturate · English

saturate · rank #49,033 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #49,033
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Schatz

Nearest frequency peer: Schatz (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “saturate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “saturate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

saturate vs saturated
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for saturate
PropertyValue
Headwordsaturate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#49,033
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “saturate”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Schatz” (#49,034), “sanitized” (#49,031), “Scipio” (#49,035). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “saturate” is #49,033. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around saturate (IPA /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #49,033 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).
  2. 2
    To fill thoroughly or to excess.
  3. 3
    To satisfy the affinity of; to cause a substance to become inert by chemical combination with all that it can hold.
  4. 4
    To render pure, or of a colour free from white light.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Rain saturated their clothes.
  2. After walking home in the driving rain, his clothes were saturated.

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

empapar(Español)saturer(Français)sättigen(Deutsch)saturar(Português)

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.

asturate2satruate2satturate1satuarte2saturaet2saturatte1saturrate1saturtae2
Edit distance from "saturate"

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"?
"saturate" is spelled S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/.
What does "saturate" mean?
As a verb, "saturate" means: To cause to become completely permeated with, or soaked (especially with a liquid).
What words are commonly confused with "saturate"?
"saturate" is commonly confused with "saturated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "saturate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "saturate" is /ˈsatjʊɹeɪt/. 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 "saturate"?
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 partici... 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 "saturate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Riesling#49,019Socratic#49,058sombrero#49,060southpaw#49,064

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Rudyard11 variantsskydive11 variantsRickard11 variantssmudged11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list