How to spell celebrate

hear itcel·e·brate/'sɛlə,breɪt/verbRules and real life

What it means: To observe or honor a special occasion.

In a sentence: We celebrate birthdays with cake and gifts.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as celebratee or selabrate.

Same family: celebration, celebrated, celebrating, celebratory, celebrity. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Celebrate” comes from the Latin word *celebrare*, meaning “to honor or go to in great numbers.” Over time, it came to mean taking part in happy events and special occasions.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

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