tolerate

/ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/

//ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“tolerate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,115. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,115
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tolerate · tolerate · English

tolerate · rank #9,115 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,115
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH testify

Nearest frequency peer: testify (-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 “tolerate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tolerate” 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).

tolerate vs tolerant
75% similar
tolerate vs tolerance
78% similar
tolerate vs tolerable
78% similar

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

Key facts for tolerate
PropertyValue
Headwordtolerate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,115
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tolerate”

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).toleratelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “testify” (#9,114), “teammate” (#9,113), “treason” (#9,118). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tolerate” is #9,115. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around tolerate (IPA /ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #9,115 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for tolerate, with forms such as "otlerate", "tloerate", and "toelrate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "tolerant", "tolerance", "tolerable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin tolerātus, the perfect passive participle of tolerō (“to endure”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with Old English þolian (“to tolerate, suffer, bear”) and French tolérer. More at thole. The correct English form is tolerate, spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative.
  2. 2
    To bear, withstand.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The party tolerated corruption within its ranks.
  2. I can tolerate working on Saturday, but not Sunday.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tolerātus, the perfect passive participle of tolerō (“to endure”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with Old English þolian (“to tolerate, suffer, bear”) and French tolérer. More at thole.

Synonyms

countenancehaveabearabideabyacceptallowbearbidebrookdreeendureforbeargo along withlive withpasspocketpouchput up withstandstickstomachsufferswallowtaketake sitting downtholetolerateundergangundergo

Antonyms

chafediscriminatelose one's temperprohibitragesnap

This word in other languages

tolerar(Español)tolérer(Français)tolerieren(Deutsch)tolerar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otlerate
  • tloerate
  • toelrate
  • tolearte
  • toleraet
  • toleratte
  • tolerrate
  • tolertae
  • tollerate
  • tolreate
  • ttolerate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tolerate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

otlerate2tloerate2toelrate2tolearte2toleraet2toleratte1tolerrate1tolertae2
Edit distance from "tolerate"

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 "tolerate"?
"tolerate" is spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/.
What does "tolerate" mean?
As a verb, "tolerate" means: To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative.
What words are commonly confused with "tolerate"?
"tolerate" is commonly confused with "tolerant", "tolerance", "tolerable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tolerate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tolerate" is /ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/. 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 "tolerate"?
Borrowed from Latin tolerātus, the perfect passive participle of tolerō (“to endure”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with Old English þolian (“to tolerate, suffer, bear”) and French tolérer. More at thole. 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 "tolerate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

teammate#9,113switches#9,109supplier#9,106stripped#9,105

Similar misspelling depth

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

testify11 variantsVermont11 variantssmashed11 variantsagreeing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list