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correlate

/ˈkɔːrəleɪt/·verb

to have a mutual relationship, so that two things vary together
Fig. 1 — Two brass dials sit side by side on an old boiler, each with its own needle, and I have never worked out whether one leads the other.
01Definition

Two things correlate when they vary together — as one rises or falls, the other tends to move with it in a way that is more than chance. Height and shoe size correlate; hours of study and exam marks correlate. The word says only that the pattern is linked, not that one thing makes the other happen: a correlation can be driven by a hidden third factor, which is why 'correlation is not causation' is the caution attached to it forever. Built from cor- ('together') and relate, it is the workhorse verb of statistics, and it takes the preposition with — one thing correlates with another.

02In use
  • iThe figures show that rising temperatures correlate with the ice cover we quantify each spring.
  • iiPoverty and poor health correlate strongly, though untangling which drives which is hard.
  • iiiAnalysts watch which share prices correlate, so they can predict how one will fluctuate when another moves.
03Collocations
  • correlate with
  • strongly correlate
  • positively correlate
  • closely correlated
  • a correlation between

Family correlation (noun) · correlated (adjective) · correlational (adjective)

04Relations

=relate, associate, link, connect, correspond

06TOEFL & IELTS

A precise data verb that scores in IELTS Task 1 and academic writing — 'the two variables correlate closely' reads far better than 'go up together'. The preposition is with, and the word must stay honest: it claims a shared pattern, not a cause, so pairing it with a causation hedge ('though this may not mean one causes the other') shows real command. Mind the stress and word class: the verb is KORR-uh-late, and the noun correlation is the form most passages actually use.

07Asked
What does correlate mean?
Two things correlate when they vary together — as one changes, the other tends to change with it, more than chance would explain. Hours of sleep correlate with test scores; temperature correlates with ice melt. In the scene above, two dial needles rise and fall in step. Crucially, it says the movements are linked, not that one causes the other. The verb takes with: one thing correlates with another.
Does correlate mean cause?
No. To correlate is only to move together in a pattern; to cause is to make happen. Two things can correlate because a hidden third factor drives both, or by pure coincidence — ice-cream sales correlate with drownings, but neither causes the other; hot weather lifts both. In the scene above, the two needles rise together, yet the pipe that would prove one drives the other runs out of sight. Shared movement, not proof.
Is it 'correlate with' or 'correlate to'?
Standard usage is correlate with — 'income correlates with education', 'the results correlate with earlier findings'. 'Correlate to' does appear, especially in American technical writing, but with is the safe, dominant choice and the one examiners expect. The noun follows suit: 'a correlation with', 'a correlation between X and Y'. When in doubt, reach for with.
What is the difference between positive and negative correlation?
In a positive correlation the two move the same way — both rise, or both fall together (more study, higher marks). In a negative, or inverse, correlation they move opposite ways — as one rises the other falls (more exercise, lower resting heart rate). Both are real correlations; the sign only tells the direction. A correlation near zero means no reliable link at all.
What is the noun form of correlate?
Correlation — 'a strong correlation between diet and health', 'the correlation weakened over time'. It names the linked pattern itself, and often carries a strength word (strong, weak, moderate). Note that correlate is also a noun meaning one of the two linked things ('sleep is a correlate of good health'), and the adjective correlational describes studies that find links without proving cause.
How do you pronounce correlate?
The verb is KORR-uh-layt, with the stress on the first syllable — American /ˈkɔːrəleɪt/, British /ˈkɒrəleɪt/, differing only in that first vowel. The noun correlation moves the stress to the third syllable: korr-uh-LAY-shun. Keeping the verb's front stress is what stops it blurring into the noun in speech.