How to spell indicate

hear itin·di·cate/'ɪndə,keɪt/verbRules and real life

What it means: To show or point out something.

In a sentence: Can you indicate which door is the right one to choose?

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as indcate or indecate.

Same family: indication, indicator, indicated, indicating, indicative. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Indicate” comes from the Latin word *indicare*, meaning “to point out” or “to show.” It’s built from *in-* (“toward”) and *dicare* (“to make known”), the same root that appears in words like “dictionary” and “dictate.”

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

appreciate · celebrate · operate · patience · accurate · funeral · measure · certificate

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