suffocate

/ˈsʌfəkeɪt/

//ˈsʌfəkeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“suffocate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,709. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,709
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suffocate · suffocate · English

suffocate · rank #34,709 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,709
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH tapas

Nearest frequency peer: tapas (+4 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 “suffocate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “suffocate” 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
Key facts for suffocate
PropertyValue
Headwordsuffocate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsʌfəkeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#34,709
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “suffocate”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tapas” (#34,713), “Stockport” (#34,704), “tenement” (#34,714). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “suffocate” is #34,709. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around suffocate (IPA /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #34,709 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for suffocate, with forms such as "sfufocate", "ssuffocate", and "suffcoate". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1526; from Middle English suffocat(e) (“deprived of air, suffocated”), borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin suffōcō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adject… The correct English form is suffocate, spelled S-U-F-F-O-C-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.
  2. 2
    To die due to, or kill someone by means of, insufficient oxygen supply to the body.
  3. 3
    To overwhelm, or be overwhelmed (by a person or issue), as though with oxygen deprivation.
  4. 4
    To destroy; to extinguish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Open the hatch, he is suffocating in the airlock!
  2. It is because of freedom, one netizen replied: Like air, you may not realize its importance, but when suffocating, you would know how precious it is.

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1526; from Middle English suffocat(e) (“deprived of air, suffocated”), borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin suffōcō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from sub- (“under, up to”) + fōx (“throat”, oblique stem in fōc-). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

Synonyms

asphyxiatechokestiflechokedrownasphyxiatechokesmotherasphyxiatechokestiflesmother

This word in other languages

sofocar(Español)suffoquer(Français)ersticken(Deutsch)sufocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sfufocate
  • ssuffocate
  • suffcoate
  • suffoacte
  • suffocaet
  • suffocatte
  • suffoccate
  • suffoctae
  • sufocate
  • sufofcate
  • usffocate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of suffocate - 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.

sfufocate2ssuffocate1suffcoate2suffoacte2suffocaet2suffocatte1suffoccate1suffoctae2
Edit distance from "suffocate"

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 "suffocate"?
"suffocate" is spelled S-U-F-F-O-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/.
What does "suffocate" mean?
As a verb, "suffocate" means: To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.
What are common misspellings of "suffocate"?
Common misspellings include "sfufocate", "ssuffocate", "suffcoate", "suffoacte", "suffocaet". The correct spelling is "suffocate".
How do you pronounce "suffocate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suffocate" is /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/. 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 "suffocate"?
The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1526; from Middle English suffocat(e) (“deprived of air, suffocated”), borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin suffōcō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -a... 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 "suffocate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Stockport#34,704Transvaal#34,726simmering#34,686unbridled#34,734

Similar misspelling depth

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

stepdad11 variantsTiberius11 variantsundersea11 variantsunopposed11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list