Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spate

/speɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.79 in modern English

Syllables
spate
IPA
/speɪt/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sudden heavy downpour of rain.

Countable

noun

A sudden increase or rush of something; a flood, an outburst, an outpouring.

Countable

verb

To (suddenly) flood or inundate (a river or other watercourse) with water.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

To (suddenly) rain heavily; to pour.

Archaic; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English spate, spait (“a flood”), influenced by Scots spate (“torrent of water, flood; heavy downpour of rain; (figurative) bout of drinking; large crowd of people; flood of events, words, etc.”). The further etymology of the Middle English and Scots words is uncertain; they are possibly related to English spatter and Dutch spatten (“to spatter, splash”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sp(y)ēw-, *spyū- (whence English spit (“to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc.”)), which is imitative of spitting. The verb is derived from the noun, probably influenced by Scots spate (“to flood, swell; to rain heavily; (figurative) to scold fiercely”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /speɪt/
  • British English: /speɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce spate?
The recorded pronunciation is /speɪt/.
What does spate mean?
A (sudden) flood or inundation of water; specifically, a flood in or overflow of a river or other watercourse due to heavy rain or melting snow; (uncountable, archaic) flooding, inundation.
Where does spate come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce spate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “spate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/speɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “spate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “spate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.