violate

Name: violate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/

//ˈvaɪəˌleɪt// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“violate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,477 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#10,477
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 9
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To break or disregard (a rule or convention).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

violate vs violet

71% similar

violate vs violated

88% similar

violate vs viola

71% similar

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

Key facts for violate
Property	Value
Headword	violate
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#10,477
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “violate” 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). violate lands here:

#10,477

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for violate is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,477 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for violate, with forms such as "ivolate", "viloate", and "vioalte". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "violet", "violated", "viola", and more, 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 violaten (“to defile, render impure”), from violat(e) (“defiled, desecrated”, also used as the past participle of violaten) + -en, borrowed from Latin violātus, perfect passive participle of violō (“to treat with violence (whether bodily… The correct English form is violate, spelled V-I-O-L-A-T-E.

Definition

1
To break or disregard (a rule or convention).
2
To rape.
3
To cite (a person) for a parole violation.

Etymology

From Middle English violaten (“to defile, render impure”), from violat(e) (“defiled, desecrated”, also used as the past participle of violaten) + -en, borrowed from Latin violātus, perfect passive participle of violō (“to treat with violence (whether bodily or mental)”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Ultimately from vīs (“strength, power, force, violence”).

This word in other languages

violar(Español)violer(Français)verletzen(Deutsch)violar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ivolate,viloate,vioalte,violaet,violatte,viollate,violtae,voilate,vviolate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of violate - 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.

Edit distance from "violate"

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 "violate"?

"violate" is spelled V-I-O-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/.

What does "violate" mean?

As a verb, "violate" means: To break or disregard (a rule or convention).

What words are commonly confused with "violate"?

"violate" is commonly confused with "violet", "violated", "viola". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "violate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "violate" is /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/. 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 "violate"?

From Middle English violaten (“to defile, render impure”), from violat(e) (“defiled, desecrated”, also used as the past participle of violaten) + -en, borrowed from Latin violātus, perfect passive participle of violō (“to treat with violence (whet... 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 “violate”

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

The one correct English spelling is V-I-O-L-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “violet” - see the side-by-side comparison. violate vs violet
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.