separate

/ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/

//ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət// verb

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

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

The verdict

“separate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,577. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,577
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To divide (a thing) into separate parts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-separate · separate · English

separate · rank #1,577 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,577
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 54,294
  • PHOTO-FINISH score

Nearest frequency peer: score (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “separate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “separate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

separate vs seperate
88% similar
separate vs separated
89% similar
separate vs separator
78% similar

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

Key facts for separate
PropertyValue
Headwordseparate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,577
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “separate” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around separate (IPA /ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,577 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for separate, with forms such as "esparate", "seaprate", and "sepaarte". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "seperate", "separated", "separator", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English separaten (“to separate”), from separat (“separated”) + -en, from Latin sēparātus, perfect passive participle of sēparō (“to separate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from sē- (“apart”) + parō (“prepare”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-E… The correct English form is separate, spelled S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To divide (a thing) into separate parts.
  2. 2
    To disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect.
  3. 3
    To cause (things or people) to be separate.
  4. 4
    To divide itself into separate pieces or substances.
  5. 5
    To set apart; to select from among others, as for a special use or service.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Separate the articles from the headings.
  2. Ant taxonomists have decided that anything that's worth separating should be separated at the species level, and have no truck with subspecies at all. Butterfly taxonomists, however, like the triple-barrelled name approach and dote on subspecies. As a result, the numbers of ant species and butterfly species are not directly comparable.

Etymology

From Middle English separaten (“to separate”), from separat (“separated”) + -en, from Latin sēparātus, perfect passive participle of sēparō (“to separate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from sē- (“apart”) + parō (“prepare”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“produce, procure, bring forward, bring forth”). Displaced Middle English scheden, from Old English scēadan (whence English shed). Doublet of sever, also derived from the same Latin verb.

Antonyms

annexcombine

This word in other languages

separar(Español)séparer(Français)trennen(Deutsch)separar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esparate
  • seaprate
  • sepaarte
  • separaet
  • separatte
  • separrate
  • separtae
  • sepparate
  • sepraate
  • spearate
  • sseparate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of separate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

esparate2seaprate2sepaarte2separaet2separatte1separrate1separtae2sepparate1
Edit distance from "separate"

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "separate"?
"separate" is spelled S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/.
What does "separate" mean?
As a verb, "separate" means: To divide (a thing) into separate parts.
What words are commonly confused with "separate"?
"separate" is commonly confused with "seperate", "separated", "separator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "separate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "separate" is /ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/. 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 "separate"?
From Middle English separaten (“to separate”), from separat (“separated”) + -en, from Latin sēparātus, perfect passive participle of sēparō (“to separate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from sē- (“apart”) + parō (“prepare”), ultimately from Pr... 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 "separate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

critical#1,559appeared#1,551returned#1,613southern#1,540

Similar misspelling depth

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

partner11 variantsJapanese11 variantshealthy11 variantsfinding11 variants
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list