apply

/əˈplaɪ/

//əˈplaɪ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“apply” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,624. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,624
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)

Corpus desk

Index EN-apply · apply · English

apply · rank #1,624 · 6 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,624
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH animal

Nearest frequency peer: animal (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “apply”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “apply” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

apply vs appt
60% similar
apply vs aptly
80% similar
apply vs App
40% similar

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

Key facts for apply
PropertyValue
Headwordapply
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈplaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,624
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apply”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).applylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “animal” (#1,623), “authority” (#1,625), “agent” (#1,622). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apply” is #1,624. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around apply (IPA /əˈplaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,624 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for apply, with forms such as "aplpy", "aply", and "applly". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "appt", "aptly", "App", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Old French applierbor. Middle English aplien English apply From Middle English aplien, a… The correct English form is apply, spelled A-P-P-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
  2. 2
    To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case
  3. 3
    To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant.
  4. 4
    To put closely; to join; to engage and employ diligently or with attention.
  5. 5
    To work diligently and attentively.
  6. 6
    To address oneself; to refer.
  7. 7
    To submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" or "at" designating the recipient of the submission, and the adposition "for" designating the position).
  8. 8
    To pertain or be relevant.
  9. 9
    To busy; to keep at work; to ply.
  10. 10
    To visit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to apply cream to a rash
  2. He said, and to the sword his throat applied.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Old French applierbor. Middle English aplien English apply From Middle English aplien, applien, from Old French applier, (French appliquer), from Latin applicō (“join, fix, or attach to”); from ad + plicō (“fold, twist together”). See applicant, ply.

This word in other languages

aplicar(Español)appliquer(Français)auftragen(Deutsch)aplicar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aplpy
  • aply
  • applly
  • applyy
  • appyl
  • paply

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aplpy2aply1applly1applyy1appyl2paply2
Edit distance from "apply"

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 "apply"?
"apply" is spelled A-P-P-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈplaɪ/.
What does "apply" mean?
As a verb, "apply" means: To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
What words are commonly confused with "apply"?
"apply" is commonly confused with "appt", "aptly", "App". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "apply"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apply" is /əˈplaɪ/. 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 "apply"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Old French applierbor. Middle English aplien English apply From Middle English... 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 "apply", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

agent#1,622basis#1,626Chris#1,628enter#1,632

Similar misspelling depth

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

draw6 variantspush6 variantsParis6 variantsLouis6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list