subjugate

/ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/

//ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət// adj

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

"subjugate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“subjugate” is uncommon English (frequency #55,124 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,124
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Forced into submission; subjugated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-subjugate · subjugate · English

subjugate · rank #55,124 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,124
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sty

Nearest frequency peer: sty (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “subjugate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “subjugate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for subjugate
PropertyValue
Headwordsubjugate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/
Letters9
Frequency rank#55,124
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “subjugate” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).subjugatefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “sty” (#55,123), “sublet” (#55,125), “strived” (#55,122). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “subjugate” is #55,124. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

subjugate is uncommon English at frequency #55,124 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Forced into submission; subjugated.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for subjugate in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is derived from Late Middle English subiugat(e), subjugat(e) (“made submissive; obedient”), the past participle of subiugaten, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”), the perfect passive particip… The correct English form is subjugate, spelled S-U-B-J-U-G-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forced into submission; subjugated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For al their hye mynde they be now ſubiugate: […]
  2. After the Romans, the Saxons brought it [Lancashire] vnder their protection, and held it for a part of their Northumbrian Kingdome, till it vvas firſt made ſubiugate to the Inuaſion of the Danes, and then conquered by the victorious Normans, vvhoſe poſterities from thence are branched further into England.

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English subiugat(e), subjugat(e) (“made submissive; obedient”), the past participle of subiugaten, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”), the perfect passive participle of subiugō, subjugō (“to make subject, subjugate”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’) + iugō, jugō (“to join; to yoke”) (from iugum (“collar for a horse; yoke for cattle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yewg- (“to tie together, join, yoke”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Doublet of yoke. The noun is derived from the adjective.

This word in other languages

subjuguant(Français)

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 "subjugate"?
"subjugate" is spelled S-U-B-J-U-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/.
What does "subjugate" mean?
As an adjective, "subjugate" means: Forced into submission; subjugated.
How do you pronounce "subjugate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "subjugate" is /ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/. 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 "subjugate"?
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English subiugat(e), subjugat(e) (“made submissive; obedient”), the past participle of subiugaten, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”), the perfect passiv... 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 "subjugate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shuddered#55,103Sheboygan#55,099togethers#55,150Sephardic#55,093

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list