# motivate vs motive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### motivate
*verb · IPA /ˈməʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ · frequency rank #13,020*
To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate.

### motive
*noun · IPA /ˈməʊtɪv/ · frequency rank #7,817*
An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.

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