divide

/dɪˈvaɪd/

//dɪˈvaɪd// verb

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

"divide" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“divide” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,876. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,876
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To split or separate (something) into two or more parts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-divide · divide · English

divide · rank #5,876 · 7 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,876
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dive

Nearest frequency peer: dive (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “divide”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “divide” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

divide vs Dixie
50% similar
divide vs divine
83% similar
divide vs diving
67% similar

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

Key facts for divide
PropertyValue
Headworddivide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈvaɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,876
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “divide” sits in English frequency

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “dive” (#5,875), “Easter” (#5,877), “demanded” (#5,874). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around divide (IPA /dɪˈvaɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,876 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for divide, with forms such as "ddivide", "diivde", and "divdie". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Dixie", "divine", "diving", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-Euro… The correct English form is divide, spelled D-I-V-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To split or separate (something) into two or more parts.
  2. 2
    To share (something) by dividing it.
  3. 3
    To cause (a group of people) to disagree.
  4. 4
    To calculate the number (the quotient) by which you must multiply one given number (the divisor) to produce a second given number (the dividend).
  5. 5
    To be a divisor of.
  6. 6
    To separate into two or more parts.
  7. 7
    Of a cell, to reproduce by dividing.
  8. 8
    To disunite in opinion or interest; to make discordant or hostile; to set at variance.
  9. 9
    To break friendship; to fall out.
  10. 10
    To have a share; to partake.
  11. 11
    To vote, as in the British parliament and other legislatures, by the members separating themselves into two parties (as on opposite sides of the hall or in opposite lobbies), that is, the ayes dividing from the noes.
  12. 12
    To mark divisions on; to graduate.
  13. 13
    To play or sing in a florid style, or with variations.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a wall divides two houses; a stream divides the towns
  2. Divide the living child in two.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-der. Proto-Italic *wiðō Latin *vidō Latin dīvidōder. Middle English dividen English divide PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English dividen, from Latin dīvidere (“to divide”). Displaced native Old English tōdǣlan.

Synonyms

becutdecidediscerpdisintegratedispartdisseverdividedivorcedivvy uppartpartitionpiecemealrescindsectionseversplitsplit upsunder

Antonyms

annexcoalescecombinejoinmergeunifyunite

This word in other languages

desunir(Español)diviser(Français)aufteilen(Deutsch)separar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddivide
  • diivde
  • divdie
  • divied
  • divvide
  • dviide
  • idvide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of divide - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddivide1diivde2divdie2divied2divvide1dviide2idvide2
Edit distance from "divide"

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 "divide"?
"divide" is spelled D-I-V-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈvaɪd/.
What does "divide" mean?
As a verb, "divide" means: To split or separate (something) into two or more parts.
What words are commonly confused with "divide"?
"divide" is commonly confused with "Dixie", "divine", "diving". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "divide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "divide" is /dɪˈvaɪd/. 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 "divide"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto... 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 "divide", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Easter#5,877eleven#5,879entity#5,880colony#5,866

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

cruel7 variantsbanner7 variantsArabia7 variantsvalve7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "divide". Here's where to go from here.

  • "divide" maps to 15 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Dixie". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,876 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list