contribute

/kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/

//kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt// verb

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

"contribute" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contribute” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,008. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,008
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contribute · contribute · English

contribute · rank #4,008 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,008
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH commonwealth

Nearest frequency peer: commonwealth (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “contribute”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “contribute” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

contribute vs contributed
91% similar
contribute vs contributor
82% similar

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

Key facts for contribute
PropertyValue
Headwordcontribute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,008
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contribute”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “commonwealth” (#4,007), “contribution” (#4,009), “contributions” (#4,010). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contribute” is #4,008. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around contribute (IPA /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,008 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for contribute, with forms such as "ccontribute", "cnotribute", and "conntribute". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "contributed", "contributor", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes From Latin contribūtus, perfect passive participle of contribuō (“to bring together; to unite”), from con- (“together”) + tribuō (“to bestow”), from tribus (“tribe”), derived from trēs (“three”), from Proto-Italic *trēs, from Proto-Indo-Eu… The correct English form is contribute, spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-B-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to contribute money to a church fund
  2. to contribute articles to a journal

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From Latin contribūtus, perfect passive participle of contribuō (“to bring together; to unite”), from con- (“together”) + tribuō (“to bestow”), from tribus (“tribe”), derived from trēs (“three”), from Proto-Italic *trēs, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

Synonyms

addassistbestowbringchip indonatedo one's bitendowfundgiftgrantimpartinvestjoinkick inlendparticipatepitch inpledgeprovideput upset forwardsweeten the kittysupplysupport

This word in other languages

contribuir(Español)contribuer(Français)beisteuern(Deutsch)contribuir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontribute
  • cnotribute
  • conntribute
  • conrtibute
  • contirbute
  • contrbiute
  • contribbute
  • contribtue
  • contribuet
  • contributte
  • contriubte
  • contrribute
  • conttribute
  • cotnribute
  • ocntribute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccontribute1cnotribute2conntribute1conrtibute2contirbute2contrbiute2contribbute1contribtue2
Edit distance from "contribute"

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 "contribute"?
"contribute" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-B-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/.
What does "contribute" mean?
As a verb, "contribute" means: To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.
What words are commonly confused with "contribute"?
"contribute" is commonly confused with "contributed", "contributor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contribute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contribute" is /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹɪb.juːt/. 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 "contribute"?
PIE word *tréyes From Latin contribūtus, perfect passive participle of contribuō (“to bring together; to unite”), from con- (“together”) + tribuō (“to bestow”), from tribus (“tribe”), derived from trēs (“three”), from Proto-Italic *trēs, from Pro... 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 "contribute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

monitoring#4,033passengers#4,035punishment#4,040impression#3,950

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

progressive15 variantselementary15 variantschemistry15 variantsmechanical15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list