acquire

/əˈkwaɪɚ/

//əˈkwaɪɚ// verb

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

"acquire" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acquire” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,752 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,752
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

acquire vs acquit
71% similar
acquire vs acquired
88% similar

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

Key facts for acquire
PropertyValue
Headwordacquire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈkwaɪɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,752
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “acquire” 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). acquire 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 acquire is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkwaɪɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,752 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for acquire, with forms such as "accquire", "acqiure", and "acqquire". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "acquit", "acquired", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirō; ad- + quaerō (“to seek for”). See quest. The correct English form is acquire, spelled A-C-Q-U-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To get.
  2. 2
    To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own.
  3. 3
    To become affected by an illness.
  4. 4
    To sample signals and convert them into digital values.
  5. 5
    To begin tracking a mobile target with a particular detector or sight, generally with the implication that an attack on the target thereby becomes possible.

Etymology

From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirō; ad- + quaerō (“to seek for”). See quest.

Synonyms

attaincome byearngainobtainprocuresecurewinachieveacquirecollectfindgathergetscore

Antonyms

abandonlosediscarddispose

This word in other languages

obtener(Español)acquérir(Français)erwerben(Deutsch)adquirir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: accquire,acqiure,acqquire,acquier,acquirre,acqurie,acuqire,aqcuire,caquire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acquire - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

accquire1acqiure2acqquire1acquier2acquirre1acqurie2acuqire2aqcuire2
Edit distance from "acquire"

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 "acquire"?
"acquire" is spelled A-C-Q-U-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkwaɪɚ/.
What does "acquire" mean?
As a verb, "acquire" means: To get.
What words are commonly confused with "acquire"?
"acquire" is commonly confused with "acquit", "acquired". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "acquire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acquire" is /əˈkwaɪɚ/. 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 "acquire"?
From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirō; ad- + quaerō (“to seek for”). See quest. 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 “acquire”

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

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