pave the way
/ˈpeɪv ðə ˈweɪ/
"pave-the-way" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pave the way” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make future progress or development easier.
Corpus desk
Index EN-pave-the-way · pave the way · English
pave the way · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pave the way |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈpeɪv ðə ˈweɪ/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “pave the way” in English
Rare enough to double-check
pave the way is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈpeɪv ðə ˈweɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To make future progress or development easier.".
pave the way has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the idea that once a paved path has been laid, travel on the route is easier and smoother for others. The correct English form is pave the way, spelled P-A-V-E- -T-H-E- -W-A-Y.
Definition
- 1To make future progress or development easier.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how pave the way appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Germany's development of rocket weapons paved the way for human controlled spaceflight.
A perverting of this Firſt and Original Chriſtian Principle, by Political and Aſpiring Church-Guides, […] did not only pave the way for Popery, but both laid the Foundation thereof and finiſh'd its Superſtructure: […]
Etymology
From the idea that once a paved path has been laid, travel on the route is easier and smoother for others.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.