give

/ɡɪv/

//ɡɪv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“give” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #185. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#185
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.

Corpus desk

Index EN-give · give · English

give · rank #185 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #185
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH thing

Nearest frequency peer: thing (-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 “give”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “give” 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 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

give vs GRE
0% similar
give vs gone
50% similar
give vs glue
50% similar

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

Key facts for give
PropertyValue
Headwordgive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡɪv/
Letters4
Frequency rank#185
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “give” 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). give lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around give (IPA /ɡɪv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #185 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 28 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for give, with forms such as "ggive", "giev", and "givve". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GRE", "gone", "glue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Middle English given, from merger of Old English giefan (“to give”) and Old Norse gefa (“to give”), from Proto-Germanic *gebaną (“to give”). Displaced yive, from Middle English yiven, of the same origin, from influence of Old Norse gefa. The correct English form is give, spelled G-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  2. 2
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  3. 3
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  4. 4
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  5. 5
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  6. 6
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  7. 7
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  8. 8
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  9. 9
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  10. 10
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  11. 11
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  12. 12
    To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
  13. 13
    To provide, as, a service or a broadcast.
  14. 14
    To estimate or predict (a duration or probability) for (something).
  15. 15
    To yield or collapse under pressure or force.
  16. 16
    To lead (onto or into).
  17. 17
    To provide a view of.
  18. 18
    To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to yield.
  19. 19
    To cause; to make; used with the infinitive.
  20. 20
    To cause (someone) to have; produce in (someone); effectuate.
  21. 21
    To allow or admit by way of supposition; to concede.
  22. 22
    To attribute; to assign; to adjudge.
  23. 23
    To communicate or announce (advice, tidings, etc.); to pronounce or utter (an opinion, a judgment, a shout, etc.).
  24. 24
    To grant power, permission, destiny, etc. (especially to a person); to allot; to allow.
  25. 25
    To devote or apply (oneself).
  26. 26
    To become soft or moist.
  27. 27
    To shed tears; to weep.
  28. 28
    To have a misgiving.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I gave him my coat.
  2. I gave my coat to the beggar.

Etymology

Middle English given, from merger of Old English giefan (“to give”) and Old Norse gefa (“to give”), from Proto-Germanic *gebaną (“to give”). Displaced yive, from Middle English yiven, of the same origin, from influence of Old Norse gefa.

Synonyms

accordaddassignawardbestowbequeathconfercontributedeliverdodonatefurnishgivegive awaygranthandhand inhand overmake overministerpasspresentproviderendersupplyturn inturn over

Antonyms

receivetake

This word in other languages

dar(Español)donner(Français)geben(Deutsch)dar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggive
  • giev
  • givve
  • gvie
  • igve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of give - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ggive1giev2givve1gvie2igve2
Edit distance from "give"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "give"?
"give" is spelled G-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɪv/.
What does "give" mean?
As a verb, "give" means: To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere.
What words are commonly confused with "give"?
"give" is commonly confused with "GRE", "gone", "glue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "give"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "give" is /ɡɪv/. 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 "give"?
Middle English given, from merger of Old English giefan (“to give”) and Old Norse gefa (“to give”), from Proto-Germanic *gebaną (“to give”). Displaced yive, from Middle English yiven, of the same origin, from influence of Old Norse gefa. 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 "give", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

I've#183game#182next#190each#191

Similar misspelling depth

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

feel5 variantssure5 variantsteam5 variantskeep5 variants
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