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PlainSpell

slate

/sleɪt/noun, adjective, verb

slate is spelled S-L-A-T-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, slate means “A piece of such stone, usually cut into a rectangular shape, used as a tile for flooring, roofing, etc.; (uncountable) such tiles collectively, or…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of slate is slates.

How many letters and syllables are in slate?

Letters5: S-L-A-T-E
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing6.6 times per million words; the 9,313th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Sounds like
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is slate?

Slate appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce slate?

  • US /sleɪt/

As a verb (“To set (one or more dogs) on a person or animal; to sic”): /sleɪt/, /slet/.

Slate has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-slate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-slate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with slate

Sounds like: Sleat (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with slate?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as slate from its last stressed vowel (/eɪt/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: least, steal, tales, tesla, stale, lates, stela.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of slate

  • slates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • sclate
  • more slate comparative
  • most slate superlative
  • slating participle, present
  • slated participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does slate mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A piece of such stone, usually cut into a rectangular shape, used as a tile for flooring, roofing, etc.; (uncountable) such tiles collectively, or the material from which they are made.

  2. 2

    A piece of other material used as a roofing tile.

  3. 3

    A generally rectangular piece, originally of certain types of stone and now of other materials, often in a frame, used for writing on with a thin rod of the same or another stone (a slate pencil) or with chalk; a small chalkboard.

  4. 4

    Synonym of tablet computer (“a hand-held portable computer in the form of a tablet with a touch screen interface”).

  5. 5

    A sequentially numbered session of recording a film.

  6. 6

    Information about a film recording which is inserted at the start of the recording, or printed on a videotape label etc.

  7. 7

    A record, for example, of money owed.

    Put it on my slate–I’ll pay you next week.

  8. 8

    USA range of things; also, a schedule.

  9. 9

    datedSynonym of slating (“a harsh criticism”).

  10. 10

    ScotlandarchaicderogatoryobsoleterareA dirty or slovenly person.

adjective

  1. 1

    Having the bluish-grey colour of slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 4).

verb

  1. 1

    To cover (a building, or part of a building such as a floor or roof) with slates (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1.1).

    The old church ledgers show that the roof was slated in 1775.

  2. 2

    USTo appoint or designate (someone or something); also, to nominate or propose (someone or something); specifically (politics), to nominate or propose (a candidate) for an office.

  3. 3

    USTo expect (something) with a (strong) degree of certainty; to anticipate, to predict.

    The next version of our software is slated to be the best release ever.

  4. 4

    USTo plan or schedule (something).

    The election was slated for November 2nd.

  5. 5

    To provide synchronization information about (a scene, take, etc., of a film recording) using a slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.3.1).

  6. 6

    To scrape (an animal hide) with a slater (“blade originally made of slate”) to remove hairs.

  7. 7

    To cover a building, or part of a building with slates (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1.1).

  8. 8

    To provide a film recording with synchronization information, especially using a slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.3.1).

  9. 9

    To scold (someone) harshly; to chastise, to excoriate, to lambaste.

  10. 10

    UKTo criticize or critique (an author or a work) harshly; to castigate.

    The play was slated by the critics.

  11. 11

    slangTo treat (an enemy) harshly.

  12. 12

    slangTo beat or thrash (someone) harshly.

  13. 13

    UKobsoleteTo knock the hat of (someone) forward over their eyes as a joke.

  14. 14

    ScotlandTo set (one or more dogs) on a person or animal; to sic.

  15. 15

    ScotlandTo set one or more dogs on (a person or animal).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Slate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanSchiefer (flake or piece of certain types of stone that…), Dachschiefer, Dachschindel, Schieferplatte, Schiefertafel (piece of such stone used as a tile for…), schiefergrau (having the bluish-grey colour of slate – see…)
Frenchardoise (piece of such stone used as a tile for…)
Portugueseardósia (piece of such stone used as a tile for…), lousa (piece, originally of certain types of stone and…), conta (record of money owed)
Spanishpizarra (piece of such stone used as a tile for…), cuenta (record of money owed), empizarrar ((transitive) to cover (a building, or part of a…), destinar ((transitive) to expect (something) with a…), fechar, fijar ((transitive) to plan or schedule (something) –…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does slate come from?

The noun is derived from Middle English sclate, slat, slate (“type of rock; roofing slate; writing slate”), from Old French esclate, a feminine form of esclat (“broken piece, shard”) (modern French éclat), from Old French esclater (“to break, shatter”), from Frankish *slaitijan (“to split, break”), from Proto-Germanic *slaitijaną, the causative of *slītaną (“to cut up, split”); further etymology unknown (see the Proto-Germanic entry for a discussion). Doublet of éclat and slat. The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after slate