alive

/əˈlaɪv/

//əˈlaɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“alive” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,780. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,780
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having life; living; not dead.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alive · alive · English

alive · rank #1,780 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,780
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 35,202
  • PHOTO-FINISH AD

Nearest frequency peer: AD (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “alive”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “alive” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

alive vs ave
60% similar
alive vs aloe
60% similar
alive vs Alva
40% similar

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

Key facts for alive
PropertyValue
Headwordalive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈlaɪv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,780
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alive” 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). alive lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around alive (IPA /əˈlaɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,780 among 35,202 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for alive, with forms such as "ailve", "aliev", and "alivve". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ave", "aloe", "Alva", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English 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 Englis… The correct English form is alive, spelled A-L-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having life; living; not dead.
  2. 2
    In a state of action; in force or operation; existent.
  3. 3
    Busy with activity of many living beings; swarming; thronged; busy.
  4. 4
    Carrying electrical current; energized.
  5. 5
    Aware of; sensitive to.
  6. 6
    Sprightly; lively; brisk.
  7. 7
    Susceptible, sensitive; easy to impress; having keen feelings, as opposed to apathy.
  8. 8
    Out of all living creatures.
  9. 9
    Synonym of live.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how alive appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. As long as the plant is alive, he will continue to water it.
  2. I am hee that liueth, and was dead : and behold, I am aliue foꝛ euermoꝛe,Amen,and haue the keyes of hell and of death.

Etymology

From Middle English 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”).

Synonyms

alive and kickingextantvitalexistingfriskypeppyzestfulactiveenergizedhotliveeverin the worldabove groundalivealive and wellanimateanimatedkickinglivelylivesomelivingquickstill with ussurvivingundeceasedvitalic

Antonyms

dead

This word in other languages

vivo(Español)en vie(Français)lebendig(Deutsch)vivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ailve
  • aliev
  • alivve
  • allive
  • alvie
  • laive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ailve2aliev2alivve1allive1alvie2laive2
Edit distance from "alive"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "alive"?
"alive" is spelled A-L-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlaɪv/.
What does "alive" mean?
As an adjective, "alive" means: Having life; living; not dead.
What words are commonly confused with "alive"?
"alive" is commonly confused with "ave", "aloe", "Alva". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alive" is /əˈlaɪv/. 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 "alive"?
From Middle English 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 (whe... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "alive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

apple#1,781units#1,778tough#1,777bitch#1,784

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

dress6 variantsdogs6 variantscopy6 variantscells6 variants
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