contrive
/kənˈtɹaɪv/verb
contrive is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-V-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, contrive means “To invent by an exercise of ingeniosity; to devise” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in contrive?
| Letters | 8: C-O-N-T-R-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is contrive?
Contrive appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce contrive?
- /kənˈtɹaɪv/
Contrive has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-contrive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contrive
- contrives present, singular, he/she/it
- contriving participle, present
- contrived participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contrive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To invent by an exercise of ingeniosity; to devise
- 2
To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation.
- 3
To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light.
- 4
obsoleteTo spend (time, or a period).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contrive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | combiner , inventer |
| German | ersinnen , entwerfen , bewerkstelligen |
| Spanish | idear, discurrir, complotar, urdir, maquinar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does contrive come from?
From Middle English contreve (“to invent”), from Old French controver (Modern French controuver), from trover (“to find”) (French trouver).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).