contrive

/kənˈtɹaɪv/

//kənˈtɹaɪv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“contrive” is uncommon English (frequency #76,665 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,665
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To invent by an exercise of ingeniosity; to devise

Corpus desk

Index EN-contrive · contrive · English

contrive · rank #76,665 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,665
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Coombe

Nearest frequency peer: Coombe (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “contrive”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “contrive” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for contrive
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈtɹaɪv/
Letters8
Frequency rank#76,665
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “contrive” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).contrivefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Coombe” (#76,666), “Conran” (#76,663), “copulate” (#76,667). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contrive” is #76,665. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contrive is uncommon English at frequency #76,665 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /kənˈtɹaɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for contrive in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English contreve (“to invent”), from Old French controver (Modern French controuver), from trover (“to find”) (French trouver). The correct English form is contrive, spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To invent by an exercise of ingeniosity; to devise
  2. 2
    To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation.
  3. 3
    To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light.
  4. 4
    To spend (time, or a period).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]I cannot bear the idea of two young women traveling post by themselves. It is highly improper. You must contrive to send somebody.
  2. Neither do thou imagine that I shall contrive aught against his life.

Etymology

From Middle English contreve (“to invent”), from Old French controver (Modern French controuver), from trover (“to find”) (French trouver).

Synonyms

becastcast about

This word in other languages

idear(Español)combiner(Français)ersinnen(Deutsch)

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 "contrive"?
"contrive" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɹaɪv/.
What does "contrive" mean?
As a verb, "contrive" means: To invent by an exercise of ingeniosity; to devise
How do you pronounce "contrive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contrive" is /kənˈtɹaɪv/. 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 "contrive"?
From Middle English contreve (“to invent”), from Old French controver (Modern French controuver), from trover (“to find”) (French trouver). 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 "contrive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

copulate#76,667creepily#76,677croaking#76,678crutcher#76,683

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list