conceive

/kənˈsiːv/

//kənˈsiːv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“conceive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,107
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To have a child; to become pregnant (with).

Corpus desk

Index EN-conceive · conceive · English

conceive · rank #17,107 · 11 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,107
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 43,570
  • PHOTO-FINISH condensed

Nearest frequency peer: condensed (+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 “conceive”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “conceive” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

conceive vs concise
75% similar
conceive vs conserve
75% similar
conceive vs conclave
75% similar

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

Key facts for conceive
PropertyValue
Headwordconceive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈsiːv/
Letters8
Frequency rank#17,107
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “conceive” 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). conceive lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around conceive (IPA /kənˈsiːv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #17,107 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for conceive, with forms such as "cconceive", "cnoceive", and "cocneive". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "concise", "conserve", "conclave", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English conceyven, from Old French concevoir, conceveir, from Latin concipiō, concipere (“to devise, to conceive”). The correct English form is conceive, spelled C-O-N-C-E-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To have a child; to become pregnant (with).
  2. 2
    To develop; to form in the mind; to imagine.
  3. 3
    To imagine (as); to have a conception of; to form a representation of.
  4. 4
    To understand (someone).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Assisted procreation can help those trying to conceive.
  2. She hath also conceived a son in her old age.

Etymology

From Middle English conceyven, from Old French concevoir, conceveir, from Latin concipiō, concipere (“to devise, to conceive”).

This word in other languages

concebir(Español)concevoir(Français)konzipieren(Deutsch)conceber(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconceive
  • cnoceive
  • cocneive
  • concceive
  • conceiev
  • conceivve
  • concevie
  • concieve
  • conecive
  • connceive
  • ocnceive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of conceive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cconceive1cnoceive2cocneive2concceive1conceiev2conceivve1concevie2concieve2
Edit distance from "conceive"

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "conceive"?
"conceive" is spelled C-O-N-C-E-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈsiːv/.
What does "conceive" mean?
As a verb, "conceive" means: To have a child; to become pregnant (with).
What words are commonly confused with "conceive"?
"conceive" is commonly confused with "concise", "conserve", "conclave". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conceive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conceive" is /kənˈsiːv/. 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 "conceive"?
From Middle English conceyven, from Old French concevoir, conceveir, from Latin concipiō, concipere (“to devise, to conceive”). 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 "conceive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cleavage#17,103conveyed#17,112cassette#17,097daunting#17,117

Similar misspelling depth

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

culprit11 variantsCarlson11 variantsbribery11 variantsbatsman11 variants
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