belive

/bɪˈlaɪv/

//bɪˈlaɪv// verb

"belive" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“belive” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,337 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#37,337
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remain, stay.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

belive vs belle
67% similar
belive vs blige
67% similar
belive vs beside
67% similar

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

Key facts for belive
PropertyValue
Headwordbelive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈlaɪv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,337
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “belive” 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). belive 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 belive is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɪˈlaɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,337 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To remain, stay.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for belive, with forms such as "bbelive", "beilve", and "believ". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "belle", "blige", "beside", 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 beliven, from Old English belīfan (“to remain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilīban, from Proto-Germanic *bilībaną (“to remain”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- + Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick, glue”). Cognate with West Frisian bliuwe (… The correct English form is belive, spelled B-E-L-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remain, stay.

Etymology

From Middle English beliven, from Old English belīfan (“to remain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilīban, from Proto-Germanic *bilībaną (“to remain”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- + Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick, glue”). Cognate with West Frisian bliuwe (“to stay”), Dutch blijven (“to remain”), German bleiben (“to remain”), Danish blive (“to be, remain”). More at leave.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbelive,beilve,believ,belivve,bellive,belvie,bleive,eblive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbelive1beilve2believ2belivve1bellive1belvie2bleive2eblive2
Edit distance from "belive"

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 "belive"?
"belive" is spelled B-E-L-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈlaɪv/.
What does "belive" mean?
As a verb, "belive" means: To remain, stay.
What words are commonly confused with "belive"?
"belive" is commonly confused with "belle", "blige", "beside". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "belive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "belive" is /bɪˈlaɪv/. 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 "belive"?
From Middle English beliven, from Old English belīfan (“to remain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilīban, from Proto-Germanic *bilībaną (“to remain”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- + Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick, glue”). Cognate with West Frisia... 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 “belive”

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

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