# belive

> English word · Verb · IPA /bɪˈlaɪv/ · frequency rank #37,337

## Definitions
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.

## Easily confused with
- **belle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belive-vs-belle)
- **blige** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belive-vs-blige)
- **beside** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belive-vs-beside)
- **Belize** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belive-vs-belize)
- **byline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belive-vs-byline)
- **beloved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belive-vs-beloved)
- **beige** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beige-vs-belive)
- **belief** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/belief-vs-belive)
- **behave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behave-vs-belive)
- **believe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/believe-vs-belive)
- **beehive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beehive-vs-belive)
- **believed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/believed-vs-belive)
- **believes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/believes-vs-belive)
- **believer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/believer-vs-belive)

## Common misspellings (8)
`bbelive`, `beilve`, `believ`, `belivve`, `bellive`, `belvie`, `bleive`, `eblive`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/belive