gates

/ɡeɪts/

//ɡeɪts// noun

The verdict

“gates” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #16,115 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,115
frequency rank, Spanish
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Forma del plural de gate.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gates vs gato
60% similar
gates vs gays
60% similar
gates vs goes
60% similar

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

Key facts for gates
PropertyValue
Headwordgates
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡeɪts/
Letters5
Frequency rank#16,115
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gates” sits in Spanish 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). gates lands here:

#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 Spanish entry for gates is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡeɪts/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,115 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Forma del plural de gate.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for gates, with forms such as "agtes", "gaets", and "gatess". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "gato", "gays", "goes", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is gates, spelled G-A-T-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forma del plural de gate.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: agtes,gaets,gatess,gatse,gattes,ggates,gtaes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gates - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

agtes2gaets2gatess1gatse2gattes1ggates1gtaes2
Edit distance from "gates"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gates"?
"gates" is spelled G-A-T-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡeɪts/.
What does "gates" mean?
As a noun, "gates" means: Forma del plural de gate.
What words are commonly confused with "gates"?
"gates" is commonly confused with "gato", "gays", "goes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gates"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gates" is /ɡeɪts/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gates" come from?
"gates" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “gates”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is G-A-T-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡeɪts/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “gato” - see the side-by-side comparison. gates vs gato
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list