accrue

/əˈkɹuː/

//əˈkɹuː// verb

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

"accrue" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accrue” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,264 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#32,264
frequency rank, English
6
letters
6
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To increase, to rise

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

accrue vs acre
67% similar
accrue vs accuse
67% similar
accrue vs accrued
86% similar

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

Key facts for accrue
PropertyValue
Headwordaccrue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈkɹuː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#32,264
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “accrue” 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). accrue 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 accrue is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkɹuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #32,264 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 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 accrue, with forms such as "accreu", "accrrue", and "accure". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "acre", "accuse", "accrued", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in mid 15th century. From Middle English acrewen, borrowed from Old French acreüe, past participle of accreistre (“to increase”), from Latin accrēsco (“increase”), from ad (“in addition”) + crēscō (“to grow”). The correct English form is accrue, spelled A-C-C-R-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To increase, to rise
  2. 2
    To reach or come to by way of increase; to arise or spring up because of growth or result, especially as the produce of money lent.
  3. 3
    To be incurred as a result of the passage of time.
  4. 4
    To accumulate.
  5. 5
    To become an enforceable and permanent right.

Etymology

First attested in mid 15th century. From Middle English acrewen, borrowed from Old French acreüe, past participle of accreistre (“to increase”), from Latin accrēsco (“increase”), from ad (“in addition”) + crēscō (“to grow”).

Synonyms

riseaccreteincreaseadd upaccumulate

Antonyms

amortizedeferprepay

This word in other languages

acrecentarse(Español)accroître(Français)anfallen(Deutsch)acrescer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: accreu,accrrue,accure,acrcue,acrue,cacrue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

accreu2accrrue1accure2acrcue2acrue1cacrue2
Edit distance from "accrue"

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 "accrue"?
"accrue" is spelled A-C-C-R-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkɹuː/.
What does "accrue" mean?
As a verb, "accrue" means: To increase, to rise
What words are commonly confused with "accrue"?
"accrue" is commonly confused with "acre", "accuse", "accrued". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accrue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accrue" is /əˈkɹuː/. 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 "accrue"?
First attested in mid 15th century. From Middle English acrewen, borrowed from Old French acreüe, past participle of accreistre (“to increase”), from Latin accrēsco (“increase”), from ad (“in addition”) + crēscō (“to grow”). 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 “accrue”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-C-R-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkɹuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “acre” - see the side-by-side comparison. accrue vs acre
  • 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