simulate

/ˈsɪm.jʊˌleɪt/

//ˈsɪm.jʊˌleɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“simulate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,346. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,346
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To model, replicate, duplicate the behavior, appearance or properties of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-simulate · simulate · English

simulate · rank #16,346 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,346
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shrinking

Nearest frequency peer: shrinking (-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 “simulate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “simulate” 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).

simulate vs stimulate
89% similar
simulate vs simulator
78% similar
simulate vs stipulate
78% similar

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

Key facts for simulate
PropertyValue
Headwordsimulate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsɪm.jʊˌleɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#16,346
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “simulate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).simulatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shrinking” (#16,345), “Sioux” (#16,347), “servicing” (#16,344). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “simulate” is #16,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around simulate (IPA /ˈsɪm.jʊˌleɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,346 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To model, replicate, duplicate the behavior, appearance or properties of.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for simulate, with forms such as "ismulate", "simluate", and "simmulate". 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, "stimulate", "simulator", "stipulate", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1652; Borrowed from Latin simulātus, perfect passive participle of simulō (“make like, imitate, copy, represent, feign”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from similis (“like”). See similar. The correct English form is simulate, spelled S-I-M-U-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To model, replicate, duplicate the behavior, appearance or properties of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We will use a smoke machine to simulate the fog you will actually encounter.
  2. This video game simulates a pinball machine.

Etymology

First attested in 1652; Borrowed from Latin simulātus, perfect passive participle of simulō (“make like, imitate, copy, represent, feign”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from similis (“like”). See similar.

This word in other languages

simular(Español)simuler(Français)simulieren(Deutsch)simular(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ismulate
  • simluate
  • simmulate
  • simualte
  • simulaet
  • simulatte
  • simullate
  • simultae
  • siumlate
  • smiulate
  • ssimulate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of simulate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ismulate2simluate2simmulate1simualte2simulaet2simulatte1simullate1simultae2
Edit distance from "simulate"

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 "simulate"?
"simulate" is spelled S-I-M-U-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪm.jʊˌleɪt/.
What does "simulate" mean?
As a verb, "simulate" means: To model, replicate, duplicate the behavior, appearance or properties of.
What words are commonly confused with "simulate"?
"simulate" is commonly confused with "stimulate", "simulator", "stipulate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "simulate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "simulate" is /ˈsɪm.jʊˌleɪt/. 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 "simulate"?
First attested in 1652; Borrowed from Latin simulātus, perfect passive participle of simulō (“make like, imitate, copy, represent, feign”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from similis (“like”). See similar. 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 "simulate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

screwing#16,341sapphire#16,340Stamford#16,357strapped#16,361

Similar misspelling depth

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

Snowden11 variantssolvent11 variantsstocked11 variantsrematch11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list