reeve

/ɹiːv/

//ɹiːv// noun

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

"reeve" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reeve” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,556. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,556
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reeve · reeve · English

reeve · rank #32,556 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,556
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Redford

Nearest frequency peer: Redford (-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 “reeve”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reeve” 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).

reeve vs rev
60% similar
reeve vs Rene
40% similar
reeve vs rove
60% similar

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

Key facts for reeve
PropertyValue
Headwordreeve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiːv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#32,556
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reeve”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).reevelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Redford” (#32,555), “reclining” (#32,554), “relativistic” (#32,558). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reeve” is #32,556. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around reeve (IPA /ɹiːv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,556 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for reeve, with forms such as "ereve", "reeev", and "reevve". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rev", "Rene", "rove", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reve, from Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa (also groefa), from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō (“officer, official”). Compare Danish greve, Swedish greve, Dutch graaf, German Graf. The role, and eventually the word, was mostly repl… The correct English form is reeve, spelled R-E-E-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
  2. 2
    The president of a township or municipal district council.
  3. 3
    The holder of a proposed but unadopted commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force, equivalent to wing commander.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His first convert was the reeve of the city of Lincoln called Blæcca, ...
  2. A list of new titles was manufactured as follows: Ensign, Lieutenant, Flight-Leader, Squadron-Leader, Reeve, Banneret, Fourth-Ardian, Third-Ardian, Second-Ardian, Ardian, Air Marshal. […] “Reeve”, perhaps, savoured a little too much of legal authority.

Etymology

From Middle English reve, from Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa (also groefa), from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō (“officer, official”). Compare Danish greve, Swedish greve, Dutch graaf, German Graf. The role, and eventually the word, was mostly replaced by bailiff, of Anglo-Norman origin.

Synonyms

provost

This word in other languages

Graf(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ereve
  • reeev
  • reevve
  • reve
  • revee
  • rreeve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ereve2reeev2reevve1reve1revee2rreeve1
Edit distance from "reeve"

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 "reeve"?
"reeve" is spelled R-E-E-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiːv/.
What does "reeve" mean?
As a noun, "reeve" means: Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities.
What words are commonly confused with "reeve"?
"reeve" is commonly confused with "rev", "Rene", "rove". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reeve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reeve" is /ɹiːv/. 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 "reeve"?
From Middle English reve, from Old English rēfa, an aphetism of ġerēfa (also groefa), from Proto-West Germanic *garāfijō (“officer, official”). Compare Danish greve, Swedish greve, Dutch graaf, German Graf. The role, and eventually the word, was m... 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 "reeve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

roars#32,568Sabah#32,575Santi#32,580serra#32,586

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

ROTC6 variantssnot6 variantsMeier6 variantsMalia6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list