approve

/əˈpɹuːv/

//əˈpɹuːv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“approve” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,208 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,208
frequency rank, English
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

approve vs approx
71% similar
approve vs approved
88% similar
approve vs approves
88% similar

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

Key facts for approve
PropertyValue
Headwordapprove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɹuːv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,208
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “approve” 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). approve 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 approve is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈpɹuːv/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,208 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 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for approve, with forms such as "apporve", "approev", and "approvve". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "approx", "approved", "approves", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro-der. Proto… The correct English form is approve, spelled A-P-P-R-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.
  2. 2
    To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.
  3. 3
    To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
  4. 4
    To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept.
  5. 5
    To show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-der. Proto-Italic *proβwos Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *proβwāō Latin probō Latin approbōder. Old French aproverbor. Middle English aproven English approve From Middle English aproven, appreoven, appreven, apreven, borrowed from Old French aprover, approver, approuvir, appreuver (“to approve”), from Latin approbō, from ad + probō (“to esteem as good, approve, prove”). Doublet of approbate. By surface analysis, ad- + prove.

Synonyms

agree withapprobateapprovebacksupportthink much of

Antonyms

contradictdisapproveoppose

This word in other languages

aprobar(Español)approuver(Français)billigen(Deutsch)aprovar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apporve,approev,approvve,apprrove,apprvoe,aprove,aprpove,paprove

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apporve2approev2approvve1apprrove1apprvoe2aprove1aprpove2paprove2
Edit distance from "approve"

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 "approve"?
"approve" is spelled A-P-P-R-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹuːv/.
What does "approve" mean?
As a verb, "approve" means: To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.
What words are commonly confused with "approve"?
"approve" is commonly confused with "approx", "approved", "approves". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "approve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "approve" is /əˈpɹuːv/. 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 "approve"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro-... 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 “approve”

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

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