sedate
/sɪˈdeɪt/
"sedate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sedate” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,081. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #39,081
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 17
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Remaining composed and dignified, and avoiding too much activity or excitement.
Corpus desk
Index EN-sedate · sedate · English
sedate · rank #39,081 · 8 variants · 17 confusables
- FREQ-MID #39,081
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
- VAR-MID 8 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH scrutinize
Nearest frequency peer: scrutinize (-2 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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “sedate”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- scalpel
scalpel
60,925 corpus weight
- scraper
scraper
60,924 corpus weight
- scrutinize
scrutinize
60,922 corpus weight
- sedate
sedate
60,920 corpus weight
- SFA
SFA
60,918 corpus weight
- shaves
shaves
60,916 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “sedate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | sedate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /sɪˈdeɪt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #39,081 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 17 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sedate” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 8 spelling variants around sedate (IPA /sɪˈdeɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #39,081 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sedate, with forms such as "esdate", "sdeate", and "seadte". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "state", "slate", "skate", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is first attested in 1646, the adjective in 1661; borrowed from Latin sēdātus, perfect passive participle of sēdō (“to settle”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is sedate, spelled S-E-D-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Remaining composed and dignified, and avoiding too much activity or excitement.
- 2Not overly ornate or showy.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how sedate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[…] they will rashly huddle up all together, and not admitting the least check of a sedate judgement, publish onely the impetuous dictates of their indiscreet and too precipitant fancie […]
But who like thee can boast a Soul sedate, / So firmly Proof to all the Shocks of Fate?
Etymology
The verb is first attested in 1646, the adjective in 1661; borrowed from Latin sēdātus, perfect passive participle of sēdō (“to settle”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- esdate
- sdeate
- seadte
- sedaet
- sedatte
- seddate
- sedtae
- ssedate
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sedate - 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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sedate", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "sedate". Here's where to go from here.
- "sedate" maps to 17 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "state". View pair
- 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #39,081 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.