deprive

/dɪˈpɹaɪv/

//dɪˈpɹaɪv// verb

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

"deprive" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deprive” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,642. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,642
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used with “of”, to take something away from (someone) and keep it away; to deny someone something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deprive · deprive · English

deprive · rank #22,642 · 10 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,642
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Derry

Nearest frequency peer: Derry (+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 “deprive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “deprive” 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).

deprive vs drive
71% similar
deprive vs derive
86% similar
deprive vs derived
71% similar

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

Key facts for deprive
PropertyValue
Headworddeprive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈpɹaɪv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,642
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deprive”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Derry” (#22,643), “deepening” (#22,640), “deepen” (#22,639). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deprive” is #22,642. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around deprive (IPA /dɪˈpɹaɪv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,642 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for deprive, with forms such as "ddeprive", "depirve", and "depprive". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "drive", "derive", "derived", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English depryven, from Old French depriver, from Medieval Latin dēprīvō, from Latin dē- + prīvō. The correct English form is deprive, spelled D-E-P-R-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used with “of”, to take something away from (someone) and keep it away; to deny someone something.
  2. 2
    To degrade (a clergyman) from office.
  3. 3
    To bereave.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "for it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."
  2. If we had been deprived of it, the most serious consequence would be that we'd be deprived of philosophy.

Etymology

From Middle English depryven, from Old French depriver, from Medieval Latin dēprīvō, from Latin dē- + prīvō.

Synonyms

bereaveimpoverish

Antonyms

enrich

This word in other languages

desproveer(Español)berauben(Deutsch)privar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeprive
  • depirve
  • depprive
  • depriev
  • deprivve
  • deprrive
  • deprvie
  • derpive
  • dperive
  • edprive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of deprive - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddeprive1depirve2depprive1depriev2deprivve1deprrive1deprvie2derpive2
Edit distance from "deprive"

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 "deprive"?
"deprive" is spelled D-E-P-R-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈpɹaɪv/.
What does "deprive" mean?
As a verb, "deprive" means: Used with “of”, to take something away from (someone) and keep it away; to deny someone something.
What words are commonly confused with "deprive"?
"deprive" is commonly confused with "drive", "derive", "derived". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deprive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deprive" is /dɪˈpɹaɪv/. 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 "deprive"?
From Middle English depryven, from Old French depriver, from Medieval Latin dēprīvō, from Latin dē- + prīvō. 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 "deprive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cumbria#22,635Corbett#22,629coolant#22,627enclave#22,660

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

fielder10 variantsceleste10 variantsgentry10 variantsbriefed10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list