translate

/tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/

//tɹɑːnzˈleɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“translate” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,991. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,991
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-translate · translate · English

translate · rank #7,991 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,991
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thankful

Nearest frequency peer: thankful (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “translate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “translate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

translate vs translated
90% similar
translate vs translator
80% similar

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

Key facts for translate
PropertyValue
Headwordtranslate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,991
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “translate” 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).translatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “thankful” (#7,990), “treasurer” (#7,992), “texture” (#7,989). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around translate (IPA /tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,991 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 19 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for translate, with forms such as "rtanslate", "tarnslate", and "tranlsate". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "translated", "translator", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English translaten (“to transport, translate, transform”), from Anglo-Norman translater, from Latin trānslātus, perfect passive participle of trānsferō (“to transport, carry across, translate”). See also -ate (verb-forming suffix). Distant doubl… The correct English form is translate, spelled T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  10. 10
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  11. 11
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  12. 12
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  13. 13
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  14. 14
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  15. 15
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  16. 16
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  17. 17
    Senses relating to a change of position.
  18. 18
    To entrance (“place in a trance”), to cause to lose recollection or sense.
  19. 19
    To repair (used shoes, boots or other clothing) for resale.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hans translated my novel into Welsh.
  2. [H]e [Theodore Beza] tranſlateth animam, a Carcaſe: (ſo calling our Sauiour Christes bodie, irreuerently, and wickedly) he tranſlateth infernum, graue.

Etymology

From Middle English translaten (“to transport, translate, transform”), from Anglo-Norman translater, from Latin trānslātus, perfect passive participle of trānsferō (“to transport, carry across, translate”). See also -ate (verb-forming suffix). Distant doublet of transfer, see collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others. In this sense, displaced Old English wendan (“to translate,” also the word for “to turn” and “to change”).

This word in other languages

traducir(Español)traduire(Français)übersetzen(Deutsch)traduzir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rtanslate
  • tarnslate
  • tranlsate
  • trannslate
  • transalte
  • translaet
  • translatte
  • transllate
  • transltae
  • transslate
  • trasnlate
  • trnaslate
  • trranslate
  • ttranslate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of translate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

rtanslate2tarnslate2tranlsate2trannslate1transalte2translaet2translatte1transllate1
Edit distance from "translate"

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 "translate"?
"translate" is spelled T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/.
What does "translate" mean?
As a verb, "translate" means: Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
What words are commonly confused with "translate"?
"translate" is commonly confused with "translated", "translator". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "translate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "translate" is /tɹɑːnzˈleɪt/. 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 "translate"?
From Middle English translaten (“to transport, translate, transform”), from Anglo-Norman translater, from Latin trānslātus, perfect passive participle of trānsferō (“to transport, carry across, translate”). See also -ate (verb-forming suffix). Dis... 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 "translate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

treasurer#7,992Venezuela#7,996affection#8,003sanctuary#7,969

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

beautifully14 variantscompetent14 variantsexcluding14 variantsforgetting14 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "translate". Here's where to go from here.

  • "translate" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "translated". View pair
  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,991 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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