reprieve

/ɹɪˈpɹiːv/

//ɹɪˈpɹiːv// verb

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

"reprieve" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reprieve” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,822. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,822
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reprieve · reprieve · English

reprieve · rank #33,822 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,822
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reorganisation

Nearest frequency peer: reorganisation (-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 “reprieve”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reprieve” 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).

reprieve vs reprise
75% similar
reprieve vs retrieve
88% similar
reprieve vs retriever
78% similar

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

Key facts for reprieve
PropertyValue
Headwordreprieve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈpɹiːv/
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,822
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reprieve”

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).reprievelands 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 “reorganisation” (#33,821), “resupply” (#33,823), “Reiner” (#33,819). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reprieve” is #33,822. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around reprieve (IPA /ɹɪˈpɹiːv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #33,822 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for reprieve, with forms such as "erprieve", "repireve", and "repprieve". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "reprise", "retrieve", "retriever", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate to reprise.… The correct English form is reprieve, spelled R-E-P-R-I-E-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution.
  2. 2
    To bring relief to someone.
  3. 3
    To take back to prison (in lieu of execution).
  4. 4
    To abandon or postpone plans to close, withdraw or abolish (something).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Company […] may reprieve a man from his melancholy, yet it cannot secure him from his conscience.
  2. At the time of writing the halts have been reprieved due to doubts as to the legality of the withdrawal of services. It is feared that this reprieve may not outlast the summer timetable which, on the section in question, provides only a skeleton of the former service.

Etymology

First use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate to reprise. The sense has become generalized, but does retain connotations of punishment and execution. The noun's first use appears c. 1592.

This word in other languages

exceptuar(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erprieve
  • repireve
  • repprieve
  • repreive
  • reprieev
  • reprievve
  • reprivee
  • reprrieve
  • rerpieve
  • rperieve
  • rreprieve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erprieve2repireve2repprieve1repreive2reprieev2reprievve1reprivee2reprrieve1
Edit distance from "reprieve"

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 "reprieve"?
"reprieve" is spelled R-E-P-R-I-E-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpɹiːv/.
What does "reprieve" mean?
As a verb, "reprieve" means: To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution.
What words are commonly confused with "reprieve"?
"reprieve" is commonly confused with "reprise", "retrieve", "retriever". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reprieve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reprieve" is /ɹɪˈpɹiːv/. 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 "reprieve"?
First use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate t... 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 "reprieve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

resupply#33,823soulless#33,855splitter#33,856patently#33,785

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

rectory11 variantsscreech11 variantsprimacy11 variantspecking11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list