abide

/əˈbaɪd/

//əˈbaɪd// verb

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

"abide" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abide” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,084 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#13,084
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To endure without yielding; to withstand.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

abide vs aid
60% similar
abide vs able
60% similar
abide vs acid
60% similar

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

Key facts for abide
PropertyValue
Headwordabide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈbaɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,084
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abide” sits in English 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). abide 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 English entry for abide is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈbaɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,084 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for abide, with forms such as "abbide", "abdie", and "abidde". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "aid", "able", "acid", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English abyden, from Old English ābīdan (“to abide, wait, remain, delay, remain behind; survive; wait for, await; expect”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀbīdan, from Proto-Germanic *uzbīdaną (“to expect, tolerate”), equivalent to a- + bide. Cognat… The correct English form is abide, spelled A-B-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To endure without yielding; to withstand.
  2. 2
    To bear patiently.
  3. 3
    To pay for; to stand the consequences of.
  4. 4
    Used in a phrasal verb: abide by (“to accept and act in accordance with”).
  5. 5
    To wait in expectation.
  6. 6
    To pause; to delay.
  7. 7
    To stay; to continue in a place; to remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to be left.
  8. 8
    To have one's abode.
  9. 9
    To endure; to remain; to last.
  10. 10
    To stand ready for; to await for someone; watch for.
  11. 11
    To endure or undergo a hard trial or a task; to stand up under.
  12. 12
    To await submissively; accept without question; submit to.

Etymology

From Middle English abyden, from Old English ābīdan (“to abide, wait, remain, delay, remain behind; survive; wait for, await; expect”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀbīdan, from Proto-Germanic *uzbīdaną (“to expect, tolerate”), equivalent to a- + bide. Cognate with Scots abide (“to abide, remain”), Middle High German erbīten (“to await, expect”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (usbeidan, “to expect, await, have patience”). The sense of pay for is due to influence from aby.

This word in other languages

quedar(Español)endurer(Français)aushalten(Deutsch)aguentar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abbide,abdie,abidde,abied,aibde,baide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abide - 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.

abbide1abdie2abidde1abied2aibde2baide2
Edit distance from "abide"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abide"?
"abide" is spelled A-B-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbaɪd/.
What does "abide" mean?
As a verb, "abide" means: To endure without yielding; to withstand.
What words are commonly confused with "abide"?
"abide" is commonly confused with "aid", "able", "acid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abide" is /əˈbaɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abide"?
From Middle English abyden, from Old English ābīdan (“to abide, wait, remain, delay, remain behind; survive; wait for, await; expect”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀbīdan, from Proto-Germanic *uzbīdaną (“to expect, tolerate”), equivalent to a- + bi... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “abide”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-B-I-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈbaɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “aid” - see the side-by-side comparison. abide vs aid
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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