pave

/peɪv/

//peɪv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“pave” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,172. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,172
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cover something with paving slabs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pave · pave · English

pave · rank #22,172 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,172
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH peng

Nearest frequency peer: peng (+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 “pave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pave” 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).

pave vs PE
0% similar
pave vs PV
0% similar
pave vs pay
50% similar

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

Key facts for pave
PropertyValue
Headwordpave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/peɪv/
Letters4
Frequency rank#22,172
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pave”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pavelands 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 “peng” (#22,173), “Parkinson” (#22,170), “philanthropic” (#22,174). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pave” is #22,172. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around pave (IPA /peɪv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,172 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for pave, with forms such as "apve", "paev", and "pavve". 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, "PE", "PV", "pay", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French paver (“to pave, to cover”), from Vulgar Latin *pavāre (“to beat down, to smash”), from Latin pavīre (“to beat, strike, ram, tread down”). The correct English form is pave, spelled P-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cover something with paving slabs.
  2. 2
    To cover with stone, concrete, blacktop or other solid covering, especially to aid travel.
  3. 3
    To pave the way for; to make easy and smooth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot.
  2. After two weeks Miguel began to circulate freely about the city in his truck, albeit with the long, chrome-plated pistol cocked and ready on his lap. It wouldn't be for three more years that Gonzo would tell Miguel about the secret leverage that paved his path to freedom.

Etymology

From Old French paver (“to pave, to cover”), from Vulgar Latin *pavāre (“to beat down, to smash”), from Latin pavīre (“to beat, strike, ram, tread down”).

This word in other languages

pavimentar(Español)paver(Français)pflastern(Deutsch)pavimentar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apve
  • paev
  • pavve
  • ppave
  • pvae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apve2paev2pavve1ppave1pvae2
Edit distance from "pave"

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 "pave"?
"pave" is spelled P-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /peɪv/.
What does "pave" mean?
As a verb, "pave" means: To cover something with paving slabs.
What words are commonly confused with "pave"?
"pave" is commonly confused with "PE", "PV", "pay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pave" is /peɪv/. 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 "pave"?
From Old French paver (“to pave, to cover”), from Vulgar Latin *pavāre (“to beat down, to smash”), from Latin pavīre (“to beat, strike, ram, tread down”). 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 "pave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

peng#22,173plow#22,176proc#22,182loco#22,141

Similar misspelling depth

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

lice5 variantssassy5 variantsKira5 variantskali5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list