behave
/bɪˈheɪv/verb
behave is spelled B-E-H-A-V-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, behave means “To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in behave?
| Letters | 6: B-E-H-A-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 7,121st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is behave?
Behave appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce behave?
- UK /bᵻˈheɪv/
- US /bɪˈheɪv/
- US /bi-/
Behave has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-behave.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with behave?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as behave from its last stressed vowel (/eɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of behave
- behaves present, singular, he/she/it
- behaving participle, present
- behaved participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does behave mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform.
You need to behave yourself, young lady.
- 2
To act, conduct oneself in a specific manner; used with an adverbial of manner.
He behaves like a child whenever she's around.
- 3
obsoleteTo conduct, manage, regulate (something).
- 4
To act in a polite or proper way.
His mother threatened to spank him if he didn't behave.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Behave in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se comporter |
| German | sich benehmen, sich verhalten |
| Portuguese | comportar-se |
| Spanish | portarse , comportarse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.