invest

/ɪnˈvɛst/

//ɪnˈvɛst// verb

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

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

The verdict

“invest” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,167. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,167
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.

Corpus desk

Index EN-invest · invest · English

invest · rank #4,167 · 9 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,167
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH instruments

Nearest frequency peer: instruments (-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 “invest”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “invest” 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).

invest vs Ives
50% similar
invest vs invested
75% similar
invest vs investor
75% similar

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

Key facts for invest
PropertyValue
Headwordinvest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈvɛst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,167
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “invest”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).investlands 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 “instruments” (#4,166), “jacket” (#4,168), “innovation” (#4,165). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “invest” is #4,167. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around invest (IPA /ɪnˈvɛst/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,167 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for invest, with forms such as "inevst", "innvest", and "invesst". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Ives", "invested", "investor", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French investir or Medieval Latin investire, from Latin investio (“to clothe, cover”), from in- (“in, on”) + vestio (“to clothe, dress”), from vestis (“clothing”); see vest. The sense “to spend money etc.” probably via Italian investire… The correct English form is invest, spelled I-N-V-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.
  2. 2
    To clothe or wrap (with garments).
  3. 3
    To put on (clothing).
  4. 4
    To envelop, wrap, cover.
  5. 5
    To commit money or capital in the hope of financial gain.
  6. 6
    To ceremonially install someone in some office.
  7. 7
    To formally give (someone) some power or authority.
  8. 8
    To formally give (power or authority).
  9. 9
    To surround, accompany, or attend.
  10. 10
    To lay siege to.
  11. 11
    To make investments.
  12. 12
    To prepare for lost wax casting by creating an investment mold (a mixture of a silica sand and plaster).
  13. 13
    To cause to be involved in; to cause to form strong attachments to.
  14. 14
    To inaugurate the Prime Minister of Spain after a successful parliamentary vote.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We'd like to thank all the contributors who have invested countless hours into this event.
  2. The authors predicted that when believers were deeply invested in a world view that had social support, believers would maintain their beliefs even when actual events disproved their worldview.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French investir or Medieval Latin investire, from Latin investio (“to clothe, cover”), from in- (“in, on”) + vestio (“to clothe, dress”), from vestis (“clothing”); see vest. The sense “to spend money etc.” probably via Italian investire, of the same root.

Synonyms

beclothedondressclothebesiege

Antonyms

divestdivestdisinvestdivest

This word in other languages

invertir(Español)investir(Français)investieren(Deutsch)cobrir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • inevst
  • innvest
  • invesst
  • investt
  • invets
  • invset
  • invvest
  • ivnest
  • nivest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

inevst2innvest1invesst1investt1invets2invset2invvest1ivnest2
Edit distance from "invest"

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 "invest"?
"invest" is spelled I-N-V-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈvɛst/.
What does "invest" mean?
As a verb, "invest" means: To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.
What words are commonly confused with "invest"?
"invest" is commonly confused with "Ives", "invested", "investor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "invest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "invest" is /ɪnˈvɛst/. 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 "invest"?
Borrowed from Middle French investir or Medieval Latin investire, from Latin investio (“to clothe, cover”), from in- (“in, on”) + vestio (“to clothe, dress”), from vestis (“clothing”); see vest. The sense “to spend money etc.” probably via Italian... 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 "invest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jacket#4,168Justin#4,169manual#4,172hiding#4,161

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

guards9 variantsfrozen9 variantsoccupied9 variantspurple9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list