Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell determine

Determine is spelled D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-E.

What it means: To figure out or decide something.

In a sentence: Let's determine which ice cream flavor is the best! ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: determined, determining, determination, determinate, indeterminate. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Determine” comes from Latin *determinare*, meaning “to set limits” or “to define precisely.” Over time, its meaning shifted from marking boundaries to firmly deciding something, which is why we now use it for making clear decisions or finding exact answers.

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Words like this

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