behoove

/bɪˈhuːv/

//bɪˈhuːv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“behoove” is uncommon English (frequency #85,029 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,029
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To befit, be appropriate or necessary to somebody. Alternative form of behove.

Corpus desk

Index EN-behoove · behoove · English

behoove · rank #85,029 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,029
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bechuanaland

Nearest frequency peer: Bechuanaland (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “behoove”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “behoove” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for behoove
PropertyValue
Headwordbehoove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈhuːv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#85,029
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “behoove” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Bechuanaland” (#85,027), “Batam” (#85,024), “Bhandari” (#85,035). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “behoove” is #85,029. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

behoove is uncommon English at frequency #85,029 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈhuːv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

behoove doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: See behove. The correct English form is behoove, spelled B-E-H-O-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To befit, be appropriate or necessary to somebody. Alternative form of behove.
  2. 2
    To be fitting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It ill behooves my mother to complain.
  2. Straighter he stood, and had achieved some praise / In other exercise, much more behooving / A soldier's taste than merely dirt removing.

Etymology

See behove.

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 "behoove"?
"behoove" is spelled B-E-H-O-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈhuːv/.
What does "behoove" mean?
As a verb, "behoove" means: To befit, be appropriate or necessary to somebody. Alternative form of behove.
How do you pronounce "behoove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "behoove" is /bɪˈhuːv/. 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 "behoove"?
See behove. 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 "behoove", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bharata#85,036bittern#85,040bandgap#85,017bleeder#85,044

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list