scintillate
/ˈsɪn.tɪˌleɪt/
"scintillate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“scintillate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To give off sparks; to shine as if emanating sparks; to twinkle or glow.
Corpus desk
Index EN-scintillate · scintillate · English
scintillate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scintillate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈsɪn.tɪˌleɪt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “scintillate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
scintillate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈsɪn.tɪˌleɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for scintillate, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin scintillātus, past participle of scintillāre (“to sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash”), from scintilla (“a spark”). The correct English form is scintillate, spelled S-C-I-N-T-I-L-L-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To give off sparks; to shine as if emanating sparks; to twinkle or glow.
- 2Of a star or other celestial body: to vary rapidly in brightness; to twinkle.
- 3Especially of a phosphor: to emit a flash of light upon absorbing ionizing radiation.
- 4To dazzle or to impress.
- 5To throw off like sparks.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how scintillate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Much interest appears to have been lately excited in England by Dr. Clarke's Experiments on the Blow-pipe, and the dangers of explosion attempted to be guarded against, by various contrivances. The following letter inserted in the Philosophical Magazine for December 1816, will show the importance attached to this interesting application of the gases in pr…
In fact, the whole place scintillated. Madame scintillated with combs and finery and jewellery behind the counter, mirrors innumerable scintillated behind Madame, whilst the ragtime scintillated from (as I discovered) a pianola […]
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin scintillātus, past participle of scintillāre (“to sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash”), from scintilla (“a spark”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.