variegate
/ˈvɛɹiəˌɡeɪt/verb, adjective
variegate is spelled V-A-R-I-E-G-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 72 million words in written English, the 269,040th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, variegate means “To add variety to something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in variegate?
| Letters | 9: V-A-R-I-E-G-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 72 million words; the 269,040th 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 variegate?
Variegate appears about once in every 72 million words in written English, the 269,040th 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 variegate?
- UK /ˈvɛɹiəɡeɪt/
- US /ˈvɛɹiəˌɡeɪt/
Variegate 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-uk-variegate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of variegate
- variegates present, singular, he/she/it
- variegating participle, present
- variegated participle, past
- more variegate comparative
- most variegate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does variegate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To add variety to something.
- 2
To change the appearance of something, especially by covering with patches or streaks of different colour.
- 3
To dapple.
adjective
- 1
variegated
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does variegate come from?
From Late Latin variegāre (“to make of various sorts or colors”), from Latin varius (“various”) + agere (“to make, do”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).