deserve

/dɪˈzɜːv/

//dɪˈzɜːv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“deserve” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,529. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,529
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deserve · deserve · English

deserve · rank #2,529 · 10 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,529
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH delivery

Nearest frequency peer: delivery (-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 “deserve”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “deserve” 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).

deserve vs desire
71% similar
deserve vs deserved
88% similar
deserve vs desert
71% similar

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

Key facts for deserve
PropertyValue
Headworddeserve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈzɜːv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,529
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deserve”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).deservelands 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 “delivery” (#2,528), “devices” (#2,530), “deals” (#2,527). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deserve” is #2,529. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around deserve (IPA /dɪˈzɜːv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,529 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for deserve, with forms such as "ddeserve", "deesrve", and "deserev". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "desire", "deserved", "desert", 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 deserven, from Old French deservir, from Latin dēserviō, from dē- + serviō. The correct English form is deserve, spelled D-E-S-E-R-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have.
  2. 2
    To earn, win.
  3. 3
    To reward, to give in return for service.
  4. 4
    To serve; to treat; to benefit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After playing so well, the team really deserved their win.
  2. After what he did, he deserved to go to prison.

Etymology

From Middle English deserven, from Old French deservir, from Latin dēserviō, from dē- + serviō.

Synonyms

meritbrookdeserveearngarnerreapwinbe worthy of

Antonyms

undeserve

This word in other languages

merecer(Español)mériter(Français)verdienen(Deutsch)merecer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeserve
  • deesrve
  • deserev
  • deserrve
  • deservve
  • desevre
  • desreve
  • desserve
  • dseerve
  • edserve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddeserve1deesrve2deserev2deserrve1deservve1desevre2desreve2desserve1
Edit distance from "deserve"

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 "deserve"?
"deserve" is spelled D-E-S-E-R-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈzɜːv/.
What does "deserve" mean?
As a verb, "deserve" means: To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have.
What words are commonly confused with "deserve"?
"deserve" is commonly confused with "desire", "deserved", "desert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deserve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deserve" is /dɪˈzɜːv/. 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 "deserve"?
From Middle English deserven, from Old French deservir, from Latin dēserviō, from dē- + serviō. 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 "deserve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

devices#2,530enjoyed#2,534careful#2,519matches#2,543

Similar misspelling depth

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

pacific10 variantsswitch10 variantssinging10 variantsreserve10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list