alive
/əˈlaɪv/adjective
alive is spelled A-L-I-V-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 58 times per million words in written English, the 1,793rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, alive means “Having life; living; not dead” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in alive?
| Letters | 5: A-L-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 58 times per million words; the 1,793rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is alive?
Alive appears 58 times per million words in written English, the 1,793rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce alive?
- /əˈlaɪv/
Alive has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-alive.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-alive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of alive
- more alive comparative
- most alive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having life; living; not dead.
As long as the plant is alive, he will continue to water it.
- 2
In a state of action; in force or operation; existent.
to keep the fire alive
- 3
Busy with activity of many living beings; swarming; thronged; busy.
Although quite dull during the day, the main street comes alive at night, with many bars and clubs opening.
- 4
Carrying electrical current; energized.
DANGER: OVERHEAD CATENARY–WIRE IS ALIVE
- 5
Aware of; sensitive to.
We are alive to the ongoing potential for terrorist attacks.
- 6
Sprightly; lively; brisk.
- 7
Susceptible, sensitive; easy to impress; having keen feelings, as opposed to apathy.
- 8
Out of all living creatures.
The Whitest Boy Alive
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having life:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does alive come from?
From Middle English alyve, alive, alife, olive, olife, on live, on life, from Old English on līfe (“alive”, literally “in life" or "in (the) body”), from on (“on, in”) + līfe, dative singular of līf (“life”). In this sense, replaced Old English cwic (whence English quick). Equivalent to a- + life. Compare Dutch in leven (“alive”, literally “in life”), German am Leben (“alive”, literally “at life" or "at living”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).