How Do You Spell← Check another word

How do you spell Contaminate?

Correct spelling

contaminate

Remember: conTAMinate has TAMIN in the middle, like vitamin but with TAM

Why is contaminate spelled this way?

From Latin contaminare, to make impure. CO (together) + TANGERE (to touch). To contaminate is to touch with corruption — purity lost through unwanted contact.

Common misspellings of contaminate

contaminentcontamenatecontaiminate

Example

The oil spill threatens to contaminate the entire water supply.

Frequently asked questions

How do you spell contaminate?+
The correct spelling is "contaminate". Remember: conTAMinate has TAMIN in the middle, like vitamin but with TAM
Is it contaminent or contaminate?+
The correct spelling is "contaminate", not "contaminent".

Other commonly misspelled words

imitation immaculate immediately immigrate

More spelling guides

inspection inspiration installation instigate

Never misspell a word again. Get weekly spelling tips and tricky word pairs in your inbox.

Looking up financial terms? MoneyTerms.app → — plain-English definitions for every money term you'll encounter.