have

[hæv]

/[hæv]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“have” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #5,376 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,376
frequency rank, German
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - haben; besitzen; zur Verfügung haben

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

have vs He
25% similar
have vs HSV
0% similar
have vs HIV
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for have
PropertyValue
Headwordhave
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[hæv]
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,376
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “have” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). have lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for have is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [hæv]. Corpus data places it at rank #5,376 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for have, with forms such as "ahve", "haev", and "havve". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "He", "HSV", "HIV", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is have, spelled H-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    haben; besitzen; zur Verfügung haben
  2. 2
    erfahren, erleben
  3. 3
    (eine Sprache, ein Fach) kennen, können
  4. 4
    (jemanden) betrugen
  5. 5
    (jemanden) ficken
  6. 6
    erleiden, erfahren (unfreiwillig etwas Schlechtes erfahren): someone had [object] [past participle] = jemandem wurde [das Objekt] [Partizip Perfekt] (siehe die Beispiele)
  7. 7
    machen, dass etwas geschieht; veranlassen, dass jemand etwas tut; lassen: someone had [object] [past participle] = jemand lässt/ließ [das Objekt] [Infinitiv] (siehe die Beispiele)
  8. 8
    nur aktiv, mit einem Infinitiv ohneto veranlassen (befehlen oder bitten), dass jemand etwas tut: someone had [object] [infinitive] = jemand hat [Objekt] dazu gezwungen, zu [Infinitiv]
  9. 9
    veranstalten
  10. 10
    essen, trinken
  11. 11
    haben, (eine Eigenschaft wie Gnade oder Frechheit) durch Taten zeigen
  12. 12
    (ein Kind) gebären
  13. 13
    in einer bestimmten Lage oder Haltung halten
  14. 14
    mit nachfolgendemto müssen
  15. 15
    zur Bildung des Perfekts [15a] (present perfect), des Plusquamperfekts [15b] (past perfect) und des Perfektfuturs [15c] (future perfect)
  16. 16
    zur Bildung des (periphrastischen) Vergangenheitskonjunktivs
  17. 17
    Reichtum haben

Synonyms

possessownhave gotexperienceknowsleep withfuckconquereatdrinkpartakeconsumebearmust

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahve,haev,havve,hhave,hvae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of have - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ahve2haev2havve1hhave1hvae2
Edit distance from "have"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "have"?
"have" is spelled H-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is [hæv].
What does "have" mean?
As a verb, "have" means: haben; besitzen; zur Verfügung haben
What words are commonly confused with "have"?
"have" is commonly confused with "He", "HSV", "HIV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "have"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "have" is [hæv]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "have" come from?
"have" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “have”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is H-A-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [hæv] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “He” - see the side-by-side comparison. have vs He
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list