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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,117 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#10,117
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for relieve is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈliːv/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,117 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 13 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 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.

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.

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.

Using “relieve”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-L-I-E-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈliːv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “revive” - see the side-by-side comparison. relieve vs revive
  • 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