receive

/ɹɪˈsiːv/

//ɹɪˈsiːv// verb

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

"receive" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“receive” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,496 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,496
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be given, sent, or paid something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

receive vs reeve
71% similar
receive vs recipe
71% similar
receive vs revive
71% similar

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

Key facts for receive
PropertyValue
Headwordreceive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈsiːv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,496
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “receive” 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). receive lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for receive is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈsiːv/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,496 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for receive, with forms such as "erceive", "rceeive", and "recceive". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "reeve", "recipe", "revive", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. a… The correct English form is receive, spelled R-E-C-E-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be given, sent, or paid something.
  2. 2
    To take, as something that is offered; to accept.
  3. 3
    To take goods knowing them to be stolen.
  4. 4
    To act as a host for guests; to give admittance to; to permit to enter, as into one's house, presence, company, etc.
  5. 5
    To incur (an injury).
  6. 6
    To allow (a custom, tradition, etc.); to give credence or acceptance to.
  7. 7
    To detect a signal from a transmitter.
  8. 8
    To be in a position to take possession, or hit back the ball.
  9. 9
    To be in a position to take possession, or hit back the ball.
  10. 10
    To accept into the mind; to understand.

Etymology

From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

Synonyms

acquireacceptattaincome bycopenlistfanggaingarnergetget hold ofget one's hands onlandlay hands onlay hold ofobtainprocurereceivesecurescoresnagtakewin

Antonyms

givelosesellget rid ofunacquireunget

This word in other languages

recibir(Español)recevoir(Français)bekommen(Deutsch)receber(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erceive,rceeive,recceive,receiev,receivve,recevie,recieve,reecive,rreceive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of receive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

erceive2rceeive2recceive1receiev2receivve1recevie2recieve2reecive2
Edit distance from "receive"

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 "receive"?
"receive" is spelled R-E-C-E-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈsiːv/.
What does "receive" mean?
As a verb, "receive" means: To be given, sent, or paid something.
What words are commonly confused with "receive"?
"receive" is commonly confused with "reeve", "recipe", "revive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "receive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "receive" is /ɹɪˈsiːv/. 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 "receive"?
From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fang... 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.

Using “receive”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-E-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈsiːv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “reeve” - see the side-by-side comparison. receive vs reeve
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list