revel

/ˈɹɛv.əl/

//ˈɹɛv.əl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“revel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,187. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,187
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An instance of merrymaking; a celebration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-revel · revel · English

revel · rank #25,187 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,187
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH renown

Nearest frequency peer: renown (-2 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 “revel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “revel” 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).

revel vs rove
60% similar
revel vs river
60% similar
revel vs rival
60% similar

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

Key facts for revel
PropertyValue
Headwordrevel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛv.əl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#25,187
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “revel”

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).revellands 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 “renown” (#25,185), “Rocco” (#25,189), “refurbishment” (#25,184). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “revel” is #25,187. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around revel (IPA /ˈɹɛv.əl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,187 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for revel, with forms such as "ervel", "reevl", and "revell". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rove", "river", "rival", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English revelen, from Old French revel, from reveler (“to be disorderly, to make merry”), from Latin rebello (“to rebel”). Doublet of rebel. The correct English form is revel, spelled R-E-V-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An instance of merrymaking; a celebration.
  2. 2
    A kind of dance.
  3. 3
    A wake for the dead.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Our revels now are ended.
  2. "I ought to arise and go forth with timbrels and with dances; but, do you know, I am not inclined to revels? There has been a little—just a very little bit too much festivity so far …. Not that I don't adore dinners and gossip and dances; not that I do not love to pervade bright and glittering places.[…]"

Etymology

From Middle English revelen, from Old French revel, from reveler (“to be disorderly, to make merry”), from Latin rebello (“to rebel”). Doublet of rebel.

This word in other languages

juerga(Español)Ausgelassenheit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ervel
  • reevl
  • revell
  • revle
  • revvel
  • rrevel
  • rveel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ervel2reevl2revell1revle2revvel1rrevel1rveel2
Edit distance from "revel"

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 "revel"?
"revel" is spelled R-E-V-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛv.əl/.
What does "revel" mean?
As a noun, "revel" means: An instance of merrymaking; a celebration.
What words are commonly confused with "revel"?
"revel" is commonly confused with "rove", "river", "rival". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "revel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "revel" is /ˈɹɛv.əl/. 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 "revel"?
From Middle English revelen, from Old French revel, from reveler (“to be disorderly, to make merry”), from Latin rebello (“to rebel”). Doublet of rebel. 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 "revel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Rocco#25,189quill#25,182rower#25,193Pavel#25,168

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

salaam7 variantspadre7 variantsspire7 variantsspout7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list