relieve

/ɹɪˈliːv/

//ɹɪˈliːv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“relieve” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,117. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,117
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-relieve · relieve · English

relieve · rank #10,117 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,117
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH registry

Nearest frequency peer: registry (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “relieve”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “relieve” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

relieve vs revive
71% similar
relieve vs relive
86% similar
relieve vs relieved
88% similar

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

Key facts for relieve
PropertyValue
Headwordrelieve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈliːv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,117
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “relieve” 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). relieve lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around relieve (IPA /ɹɪˈliːv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,117 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for relieve, with forms such as "erlieve", "reileve", and "releive". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "revive", "relive", "relieved", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English releven, from Old French relever, specifically from the conjugated forms such as (jeo) relieve (“I lift up”), and its source, Latin relevo (“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”), combined form of re- (“back”) + levo (“to lift”)… The correct English form is relieve, spelled R-E-L-I-E-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.
  2. 2
    To ease (someone, a part of the body etc.) or give relief from physical pain or discomfort.
  3. 3
    To alleviate (pain, distress, mental discomfort etc.).
  4. 4
    To provide comfort or assistance to (someone in need, especially in poverty).
  5. 5
    To lift up; to raise again.
  6. 6
    To raise (someone) out of danger or from (a specified difficulty etc.).
  7. 7
    To free (someone) from debt or legal obligations; to give legal relief to.
  8. 8
    To bring military help to (a besieged town); to lift the siege on.
  9. 9
    To release (someone) from or of a difficulty, unwanted task, responsibility etc.
  10. 10
    To free (someone) from their post, task etc. by taking their place.
  11. 11
    To make (something) stand out; to make prominent, bring into relief.
  12. 12
    To urinate or defecate.
  13. 13
    To ease one's own desire to orgasm, often through masturbation to orgasm.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I was greatly relieved by the jury's verdict.
  2. Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.

Etymology

From Late Middle English releven, from Old French relever, specifically from the conjugated forms such as (jeo) relieve (“I lift up”), and its source, Latin relevo (“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”), combined form of re- (“back”) + levo (“to lift”). Doublet of relevate. Compare levant, levity, etc.

Synonyms

allayassuage

This word in other languages

aliviar(Español)soulager(Français)erleichtern(Deutsch)aliviar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erlieve
  • reileve
  • releive
  • relieev
  • relievve
  • relivee
  • rellieve
  • rleieve
  • rrelieve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erlieve2reileve2releive2relieev2relievve1relivee2rellieve1rleieve2
Edit distance from "relieve"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "relieve"?
"relieve" is spelled R-E-L-I-E-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈliːv/.
What does "relieve" mean?
As a verb, "relieve" means: To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.
What words are commonly confused with "relieve"?
"relieve" is commonly confused with "revive", "relive", "relieved". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "relieve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "relieve" is /ɹɪˈliːv/. 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 "relieve"?
From Late Middle English releven, from Old French relever, specifically from the conjugated forms such as (jeo) relieve (“I lift up”), and its source, Latin relevo (“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”), combined form of re- (“back”) + levo (... 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 "relieve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

seating#10,127seminar#10,128pathway#10,104obliged#10,095

Similar misspelling depth

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

shores9 variantspacket9 variantstrader9 variantsvelvet9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "relieve". Here's where to go from here.

  • "relieve" maps to 8 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "revive". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #10,117 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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