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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,709 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#34,709
frequency rank, English
9
letters
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To suffer, or cause someone to suffer, from severely reduced oxygen intake to the body.

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

Where “suffocate” 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). suffocate lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for suffocate is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,709 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “suffocate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-F-F-O-C-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list