tolerate
/ˈtɑ.lə.ɹeɪt/verb
tolerate is spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.9 times per million words in written English, the 9,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, tolerate means “To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tolerate?
| Letters | 8: T-O-L-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.9 times per million words; the 9,045th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is tolerate?
Tolerate appears 6.9 times per million words in written English, the 9,045th 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 tolerate?
- UK /ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/
- US /ˈtɑ.lə.ɹeɪt/
- Canada /ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt/
Tolerate has 3 syllables (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: En-us-tolerate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tolerate
- tolerates present, singular, he/she/it
- tolerating participle, present
- tolerated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tolerate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative.
The party tolerated corruption within its ranks.
- 2
To bear, withstand.
I can tolerate working on Saturday, but not Sunday.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tolerate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense To allow without explicit approval:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tolérer, supporter, souffrir |
| German | tolerieren, dulden, vertragen |
| Portuguese | tolerar, aguentar, suportar |
| Spanish | tolerar, soportar, aguantar |
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 tolerate come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).