arrive

Name: arrive, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/əˈɹaɪv/

//əˈɹaɪv// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“arrive” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,739 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,739
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 6
tracked misspellings: 10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To reach; to get to a certain place.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

arrive vs Artie

50% similar

arrive vs arrived

86% similar

arrive vs arrives

86% similar

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

Key facts for arrive
Property	Value
Headword	arrive
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/əˈɹaɪv/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#3,739
Misspellings tracked	6
Confusable pairs	10
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arrive” 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). arrive lands here:

#3,739

#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 arrive is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈɹaɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,739 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for arrive, with forms such as "arirve", "arive", and "arriev". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Artie", "arrived", "arrives", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English arriven, ariven, from Old French ariver, from Early Medieval Latin adrīpāre (“to land, come ashore”), derived from Latin rīpa (“shore, river-bank”). Displaced native oncome, tocome. For the semantic evolution, compare Old English ġelandi… The correct English form is arrive, spelled A-R-R-I-V-E.

Definition

1
To reach; to get to a certain place.
2
To obtain a level of success or fame; to succeed.
3
To come; said of time.
4
To happen or occur.
5
To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.
6
To reach; to come to.
7
To bring to shore.

Etymology

From Middle English arriven, ariven, from Old French ariver, from Early Medieval Latin adrīpāre (“to land, come ashore”), derived from Latin rīpa (“shore, river-bank”). Displaced native oncome, tocome. For the semantic evolution, compare Old English ġelandian, ġelendan, lendan (“to arrive at land; land”) > Middle English alenden, landen (“to arrive; arrive at shore; land”).

Antonyms

depart

This word in other languages

llegar(Español)arriver(Français)gelangen(Deutsch)chegar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: arirve,arive,arriev,arrivve,arrvie,rarive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "arrive"

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 "arrive"?

"arrive" is spelled A-R-R-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈɹaɪv/.

What does "arrive" mean?

As a verb, "arrive" means: To reach; to get to a certain place.

What words are commonly confused with "arrive"?

"arrive" is commonly confused with "Artie", "arrived", "arrives". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "arrive"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arrive" is /əˈɹaɪv/. 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 "arrive"?

From Middle English arriven, ariven, from Old French ariver, from Early Medieval Latin adrīpāre (“to land, come ashore”), derived from Latin rīpa (“shore, river-bank”). Displaced native oncome, tocome. For the semantic evolution, compare Old Engli... 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 “arrive”

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

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