# given vs govern

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### given
*verb · IPA /ˈɡɪv.n̩/ · frequency rank #372*
past participle of give

### govern
*verb · IPA /ˈɡʌv.ən/ · frequency rank #11,709*
To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/given-vs-govern