apprehend

/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/

//ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd// verb

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

"apprehend" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apprehend” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,118. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,118
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be or become aware of (something); to perceive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-apprehend · apprehend · English

apprehend · rank #28,118 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,118
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Anya

Nearest frequency peer: Anya (-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 “apprehend”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “apprehend” 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).

apprehend vs apprehended
82% similar

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

Key facts for apprehend
PropertyValue
Headwordapprehend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,118
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apprehend”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).apprehendlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Anya” (#28,117), “Aquinas” (#28,119), “antagonistic” (#28,115). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apprehend” is #28,118. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around apprehend (IPA /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #28,118 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for apprehend, with forms such as "apperhend", "appreehnd", and "apprehedn". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "apprehended", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English apprehenden (“to grasp, take hold of; to comprehend; to learn”), from Old French apprehender (modern French appréhender (“to apprehend; to catch; to dread”)), from Latin apprehendere, adprehendere, the present active infinitive of a… The correct English form is apprehend, spelled A-P-P-R-E-H-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be or become aware of (something); to perceive.
  2. 2
    To acknowledge the existence of (something); to recognize.
  3. 3
    To take hold of (something) with understanding; to conceive (something) in the mind; to become cognizant of; to understand.
  4. 4
    To have a conception of (something); to consider, to regard.
  5. 5
    To anticipate (something, usually unpleasant); especially, to anticipate (something) with anxiety, dread, or fear; to dread, to fear.
  6. 6
    To seize or take (something); to take hold of.
  7. 7
    To seize or take (a person) by legal process; to arrest.
  8. 8
    To feel (something) emotionally.
  9. 9
    To learn (something).
  10. 10
    To take possession of (something); to seize.
  11. 11
    To be of opinion, believe, or think; to suppose.
  12. 12
    To understand.
  13. 13
    To be apprehensive; to fear.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] Angel ſignifieth there, nothing but God himſelf, that cauſed Agar ſupernaturally to apprehend a voice from heaven; or rather, nothing elſe but a Voice ſupernaturall, teſtifying Gods ſpeciall preſence there.
  2. [A]s to the barrel [of gunpowder] that had been wet, I did not apprehend any Danger from that; ſo I plac'd it in my new Cave, which in my Fancy I call'd my Kitchin, and the reſt I hid up and down in Holes among the Rocks, ſo that no wet might come to it, marking very carefully where I laid it.

Etymology

From Late Middle English apprehenden (“to grasp, take hold of; to comprehend; to learn”), from Old French apprehender (modern French appréhender (“to apprehend; to catch; to dread”)), from Latin apprehendere, adprehendere, the present active infinitive of apprehendō, adprehendō (“to grab, grasp, seize, take; to apprehend, arrest; to comprehend, understand; to embrace, include; to take possession of, obtain, secure”), from ap-, ad- (prefix meaning ‘to’) + prehendō (“to grab, grasp, seize, snatch, take; to accost; to catch in the act, take by surprise; (figuratively, rare) of the mind: to apprehend, comprehend, grasp”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to hold, seize, take; to find”)).

This word in other languages

aprehender(Español)appréhender(Français)begreifen(Deutsch)entender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apperhend
  • appreehnd
  • apprehedn
  • apprehendd
  • apprehennd
  • apprehhend
  • apprehned
  • apprheend
  • apprrehend
  • aprehend
  • aprpehend
  • paprehend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apperhend2appreehnd2apprehedn2apprehendd1apprehennd1apprehhend1apprehned2apprheend2
Edit distance from "apprehend"

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 "apprehend"?
"apprehend" is spelled A-P-P-R-E-H-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/.
What does "apprehend" mean?
As a verb, "apprehend" means: To be or become aware of (something); to perceive.
What words are commonly confused with "apprehend"?
"apprehend" is commonly confused with "apprehended". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "apprehend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apprehend" is /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnd/. 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 "apprehend"?
From Late Middle English apprehenden (“to grasp, take hold of; to comprehend; to learn”), from Old French apprehender (modern French appréhender (“to apprehend; to catch; to dread”)), from Latin apprehendere, adprehendere, the present active infin... 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 "apprehend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

anarchism#28,114bystander#28,145catchment#28,148colorless#28,154

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

beatings12 variantsagnostic12 variantsbreather12 variantsYugoslav12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list