require

/ɹɪˈkwaɪə/

//ɹɪˈkwaɪə// verb

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

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

The verdict

“require” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,736. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,736
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To demand, to insist upon (having); to call for authoritatively.

Corpus desk

Index EN-require · require · English

require · rank #1,736 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,736
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH proud

Nearest frequency peer: proud (-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 “require”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “require” 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).

require vs retire
71% similar
require vs required
88% similar
require vs requires
88% similar

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

Key facts for require
PropertyValue
Headwordrequire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈkwaɪə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,736
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “require”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).requirelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “proud” (#1,735), “shooting” (#1,737), “progress” (#1,734). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “require” is #1,736. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around require (IPA /ɹɪˈkwaɪə/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,736 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for require, with forms such as "erquire", "reqiure", and "reqquire". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "retire", "required", "requires", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French requerre (French: requérir), from Latin requīrō (“I require, seek, ask for”). The correct English form is require, spelled R-E-Q-U-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To demand, to insist upon (having); to call for authoritatively.
  2. 2
    Naturally to demand (something) as indispensable; to need, to call for as necessary.
  3. 3
    To demand (of someone) to do something.
  4. 4
    To ask (someone) for something; to request.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "I am Miss Newbury," I announced, "and I require to be shown to my room immediately, if you please."
  2. ‘Regrettably, I have concluded, after considering the matter over Christmas[…], that I can no longer maintain the high standard of service I require of myself, meet the demands of office and cope with the pressures of public life, without my health deteriorating further.’

Etymology

From Old French requerre (French: requérir), from Latin requīrō (“I require, seek, ask for”).

Synonyms

askcall forexact

This word in other languages

requerir(Español)exiger(Français)erfordern(Deutsch)exigir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erquire
  • reqiure
  • reqquire
  • requier
  • requirre
  • requrie
  • reuqire
  • rqeuire
  • rrequire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erquire2reqiure2reqquire1requier2requirre1requrie2reuqire2rqeuire2
Edit distance from "require"

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 "require"?
"require" is spelled R-E-Q-U-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkwaɪə/.
What does "require" mean?
As a verb, "require" means: To demand, to insist upon (having); to call for authoritatively.
What words are commonly confused with "require"?
"require" is commonly confused with "retire", "required", "requires". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "require"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "require" is /ɹɪˈkwaɪə/. 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 "require"?
From Old French requerre (French: requérir), from Latin requīrō (“I require, seek, ask for”). 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 "require", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

produce#1,733carried#1,747Charles#1,748classes#1,749

Similar misspelling depth

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

bridge9 variantsdollars9 variantsefforts9 variantsgarden9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list