behavior

/bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/

//bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)// noun

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

"behavior" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“behavior” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,062. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,062
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Human conduct relative to social norms.

Corpus desk

Index EN-behavior · behavior · English

behavior · rank #2,062 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,062
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH banks

Nearest frequency peer: banks (-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 “behavior”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “behavior” 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).

behavior vs behaviour
89% similar
behavior vs behavioral
80% similar
behavior vs behaving
75% similar

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

Key facts for behavior
PropertyValue
Headwordbehavior
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,062
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “behavior”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).behaviorlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “banks” (#2,061), “ben” (#2,063), “attorney” (#2,060). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “behavior” is #2,062. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around behavior (IPA /bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,062 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for behavior, with forms such as "bbehavior", "beahvior", and "behaivor". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "behaviour", "behavioral", "behaving", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną P… The correct English form is behavior, spelled B-E-H-A-V-I-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Human conduct relative to social norms.
  2. 2
    The way or manner a living creature behaves or acts generally.
  3. 3
    A state of probation about one's conduct.
  4. 4
    An observable response produced by an organism.
  5. 5
    The way a device or system operates.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Teachers will probably be on their best behaviour for your visit – but don't be upset if they don't even notice you; they've got enough going on.
  2. He was on his best behavior when her family visited.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic *habjaną Proto-West Germanic *habbjan Proto-West Germanic *bihabbjan Old English behabban Middle English behaven Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old French avoirbor. Middle English havour Middle English behavoure English behavior From Middle English behavoure, behaver, from behaven (modern behave), with the ending apparently in imitation of havour (see 'havior), a corruption of Old French aveir and/or avoir (“a having”), ultimately from Latin habēre. Compare Scots havings (“behavior”), from have (“to behave”). Replaced Old English ġebǣru.

Synonyms

comportmentconductdemeanordeportment

This word in other languages

proceder(Español)comportement(Français)Verhalten(Deutsch)comportamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbehavior
  • beahvior
  • behaivor
  • behaviorr
  • behaviro
  • behavoir
  • behavvior
  • behhavior
  • behvaior
  • bheavior
  • ebhavior

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbehavior1beahvior2behaivor2behaviorr1behaviro2behavoir2behavvior1behhavior1
Edit distance from "behavior"

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 "behavior"?
"behavior" is spelled B-E-H-A-V-I-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/.
What does "behavior" mean?
As a noun, "behavior" means: Human conduct relative to social norms.
What words are commonly confused with "behavior"?
"behavior" is commonly confused with "behaviour", "behavioral", "behaving". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "behavior"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "behavior" is /bɪˈheɪ.vjə(ɹ)/. 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 "behavior"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *kap-der. Proto-Germanic ... 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 "behavior", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

attorney#2,060brothers#2,065creating#2,068domestic#2,070

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

suddenly11 variantsCanadian11 variantsturning11 variantscharges11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list