bestow
/bɪˈstəʊ/
"bestow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bestow” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,557. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #29,557
- frequency rank, English
- 4,121
- “B” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 14
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To apply or make use of (someone or something); to employ, to use.
Corpus desk
Index EN-bestow · bestow · English
bestow · rank #29,557 · 9 variants · 14 confusables
- FREQ-MID #29,557
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,121
- PHOTO-FINISH Beverley
Nearest frequency peer: Beverley (+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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “bestow”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- baritone
baritone
70,448 corpus weight
- BBB
BBB
70,446 corpus weight
- bestow
bestow
70,444 corpus weight
- Beverley
Beverley
70,443 corpus weight
- Bezos
Bezos
70,442 corpus weight
- blistering
blistering
70,441 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “bestow” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bestow |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /bɪˈstəʊ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #29,557 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 14 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bestow” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around bestow (IPA /bɪˈstəʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #29,557 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bestow, with forms such as "bbestow", "besotw", and "besstow". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Beto", "bests", "Boston", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₁epi The verb is derived from Middle English bestowen, bistouen, bistowen (“to give, bestow; to apply (something to something else); to arrange or have control over (something); to place (someone) in a position; to use (for some purpose); (refle… The correct English form is bestow, spelled B-E-S-T-O-W.
Definition
- 1To apply or make use of (someone or something); to employ, to use.
- 2To apply or make use of (someone or something); to employ, to use.
- 3To impart (something) gratuitously; to present (something) to someone or something, especially as a gift or an honour; to confer, to give, to accord; to render.
- 4To place or put (someone or something) somewhere or in a certain situation; to dispose of.
- 5To deposit (something) for safekeeping; to lay up (something) in store; to stow.
- 6To provide (someone or oneself) with accommodation; to find quarters for (someone or oneself); to lodge, to quarter.
- 7To behave or conduct (oneself); to acquit.
- 8To give (someone or oneself) in marriage.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how bestow appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
All the voide time, that is betwene the huores of woorke ſlepe and meat, that they be ſuffered to beſtowe, euerye man as he lyketh beſte hym ſelfe.
[S]ince the voyce / Of moſt ſupreme Authority commands / My abſence: I determine to beſtovv / Some time in learning Languages abroad; […]
Etymology
PIE word *h₁epi The verb is derived from Middle English bestowen, bistouen, bistowen (“to give, bestow; to apply (something to something else); to arrange or have control over (something); to place (someone) in a position; to use (for some purpose); (reflexive) to find (oneself) a place to live or shelter”) [and other forms], from bi- (prefix forming verbs, often with a completive, figurative, or intensive meaning) + stouen, stowen (“to pack (cargo) in a ship, stow; to place (someone) in a certain position; to provide quarters for, lodge; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to place; to stand (up)”)). The English word is analysable as be- (intensifying prefix forming verbs) + stow (“to put (something) away in a suitable place; etc.”). The noun is derived from the verb.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- bbestow
- besotw
- besstow
- bestoww
- besttow
- bestwo
- betsow
- bsetow
- ebstow
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bestow - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "bestow"?
What does "bestow" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bestow", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "bestow". Here's where to go from here.
- "bestow" maps to 14 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Beto". View pair
- 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #29,557 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.