Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

speculate

/ˈspɛk.jəˌleɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.48 in modern English

Syllables: spec-u-late
IPA: /ˈspɛk.jəˌleɪt/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to consider, to deliberate or cogitate.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

verb

To make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture.

Intransitive verb

verb

To make a risky trade in the hope of making a profit; to venture or gamble.

Intransitive verb

verb

To anticipate which branch of code will be chosen and execute it in advance.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society."
"We can speculate that in many instances the sharks are not feeding on their victims, but only in a few cases can we guess what they are doing."
"It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […]."
"Some preliminary legal arrangements were made, but the scheme proceeded no further, as the various local authorities concerned were unwilling to speculate public funds on what was, even at that date, a will o' the wisp."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin speculātus, perfect active participle of speculor (“to watch, observe, examine, spy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from specula (“a watchtower”), ultimately from speciō (“to look at”).

Word Breakdown

Root: *speḱ-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈspɛk.jəˌleɪt/
British English: /ˈspɛk.jʊˌleɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

speculates (present, singular) speculating (participle, present) speculated (participle, past) speculated (past)

Derived Forms

misspeculate overspeculate speculatist unspeculated unspeculating

Frequently Paired Words

species spectacle spectacular speculation speculative speculator

Synonyms

chew over think over meditate ponder excogitate contemplate muse reflect mull mull over ruminate

Questions

How do you pronounce speculate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈspɛk.jəˌleɪt/.
What does speculate mean?: To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to consider, to deliberate or cogitate.
Where does speculate come from?: Borrowed from Latin speculātus, perfect active participle of speculor (“to watch, observe, examine, spy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from specula (“a watchtower”), ultimately from speciō (“to look at”).

How to pronounce speculate

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈspɛk.jəˌleɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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