triangulate

/tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt/

//tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt// verb

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

"triangulate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“triangulate” is uncommon English (frequency #78,225 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,225
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To locate by means of triangulation.

Key facts for triangulate
PropertyValue
Headwordtriangulate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#78,225
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “triangulate” 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). triangulate lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

triangulate is uncommon English at frequency #78,225 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

triangulate has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin triangulum + -ate or Medieval Latin *triangulāt-, the past participial stem of *triangulō. Compare French trianguler. The correct English form is triangulate, spelled T-R-I-A-N-G-U-L-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To locate by means of triangulation.
  2. 2
    To pit two others against each other in order to achieve a desired outcome or to gain an advantage; to "play both sides against the middle".
  3. 3
    To divide into triangles.

Etymology

From Latin triangulum + -ate or Medieval Latin *triangulāt-, the past participial stem of *triangulō. Compare French trianguler.

This word in other languages

triangular(Español)trianguler(Français)gegeneinander ausspielen(Deutsch)triangular(Português)

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 "triangulate"?
"triangulate" is spelled T-R-I-A-N-G-U-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt/.
What does "triangulate" mean?
As a verb, "triangulate" means: To locate by means of triangulation.
How do you pronounce "triangulate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "triangulate" is /tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt/. 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 "triangulate"?
From Latin triangulum + -ate or Medieval Latin *triangulāt-, the past participial stem of *triangulō. Compare French trianguler. 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 “triangulate”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-R-I-A-N-G-U-L-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /tɹaɪˈæŋɡjəleɪt/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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