arrival

/əˈɹaɪ.vl̩/

//əˈɹaɪ.vl̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“arrival” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,347 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,347
frequency rank, English
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of arriving (reaching a certain place).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

arrival vs arrive
71% similar
arrival vs atrial
71% similar
arrival vs arrived
71% similar

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

Key facts for arrival
PropertyValue
Headwordarrival
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈɹaɪ.vl̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,347
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arrival” 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). arrival 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 arrival is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈɹaɪ.vl̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,347 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 arrival, with forms such as "arirval", "arival", and "arriavl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "arrive", "atrial", "arrived", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English arivaile, arivaille, arrival, arryvaile, arryvaylle, aryvayle, aryvaylle, from Middle French arrivaille, from arriver; equivalent to arrive + -al. The correct English form is arrival, spelled A-R-R-I-V-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of arriving (reaching a certain place).
  2. 2
    The fact of reaching a particular point in time.
  3. 3
    The fact of beginning to occur; the initial phase of something.
  4. 4
    The attainment of an objective, especially as a result of effort.
  5. 5
    A person who has arrived; a thing that has arrived.

Etymology

From Middle English arivaile, arivaille, arrival, arryvaile, arryvaylle, aryvayle, aryvaylle, from Middle French arrivaille, from arriver; equivalent to arrive + -al.

Antonyms

departurenon-arrivalnonarrival

This word in other languages

llegada(Español)arrivée(Français)Ankunft(Deutsch)chegada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: arirval,arival,arriavl,arrivall,arrivla,arrivval,arrvial,rarival

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of arrival - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

arirval2arival1arriavl2arrivall1arrivla2arrivval1arrvial2rarival2
Edit distance from "arrival"

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 "arrival"?
"arrival" is spelled A-R-R-I-V-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈɹaɪ.vl̩/.
What does "arrival" mean?
As a noun, "arrival" means: The act of arriving (reaching a certain place).
What words are commonly confused with "arrival"?
"arrival" is commonly confused with "arrive", "atrial", "arrived". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "arrival"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arrival" is /əˈɹaɪ.vl̩/. 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 "arrival"?
From Middle English arivaile, arivaille, arrival, arryvaile, arryvaylle, aryvayle, aryvaylle, from Middle French arrivaille, from arriver; equivalent to arrive + -al. 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 “arrival”

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

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