# salve vs serve

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### salve
*noun · IPA /sɑːv/ · frequency rank #36,747*
An ointment, cream, or balm with soothing, healing, or calming effects.

### serve
*noun · IPA /sɜːv/ · frequency rank #1,502*
An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.

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