gave

/ɡeɪv/

//ɡeɪv// verb

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

"gave" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gave” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #559. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#559
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of give

Corpus desk

Index EN-gave · gave · English

gave · rank #559 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #559
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH clear

Nearest frequency peer: clear (-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 “gave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gave” 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).

gave vs ge
50% similar
gave vs Gay
25% similar
gave vs gee
50% similar

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

Key facts for gave
PropertyValue
Headwordgave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡeɪv/
Letters4
Frequency rank#559
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gave”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).gavelands 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 “clear” (#558), “gets” (#560), “action” (#557). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gave” is #559. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around gave (IPA /ɡeɪv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #559 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for gave, with forms such as "agve", "gaev", and "gavve". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ge", "Gay", "gee", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gaf, yaf, ȝaf, from Old English ġæf, ġeaf. The correct English form is gave, spelled G-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of give
  2. 2
    past participle of give

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I gaue thee Life, and rescu'd thee from Death.
  2. The superior degree of confidence towards Harriet, which this one article marked, gave her severe pain.

Etymology

From Middle English gaf, yaf, ȝaf, from Old English ġæf, ġeaf.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agve
  • gaev
  • gavve
  • ggave
  • gvae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

agve2gaev2gavve1ggave1gvae2
Edit distance from "gave"

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 "gave"?
"gave" is spelled G-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡeɪv/.
What does "gave" mean?
As a verb, "gave" means: simple past of give
What words are commonly confused with "gave"?
"gave" is commonly confused with "ge", "Gay", "gee". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gave" is /ɡeɪv/. 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 "gave"?
From Middle English gaf, yaf, ȝaf, from Old English ġæf, ġeaf. 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 "gave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gets#560word#555self#564song#553

Similar misspelling depth

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

baby5 variantsroad5 variantsfine5 variantsquite5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list