Which to use
“gives” is a verb and “gove” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #991
- “gives” frequency rank
- #31,193
- “gove” frequency rank
- 32184
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gives | gove |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of give | A mow; a rick for hay. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gives and gove apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gives is /ɡɪvz/ while gove is /ɡəʊv/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32184, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gives is recorded at frequency rank #991, classified as averb, pronounced /ɡɪvz/. gove is at rank #31,193, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡəʊv/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 32184, this pair ranks #339,956 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gives vs gove
Shared letters: egv. Private to "gives": is. Private to "gove": o.
"gives" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "gove" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gives" and "gove" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gives" or "gove"?
Remembering gives vs gove
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gives”; for a noun, it's “gove”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gives” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable