reverse

/ɹɪˈvɜːs/

//ɹɪˈvɜːs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“reverse” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,843. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,843
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reverse · reverse · English

reverse · rank #3,843 · 10 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,843
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH resulted

Nearest frequency peer: resulted (-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 “reverse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reverse” 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).

reverse vs rivers
71% similar
reverse vs revise
71% similar
reverse vs revert
71% similar

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

Key facts for reverse
PropertyValue
Headwordreverse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈvɜːs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,843
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reverse”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).reverselands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “resulted” (#3,842), “routine” (#3,844), “resort” (#3,841). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reverse” is #3,843. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around reverse (IPA /ɹɪˈvɜːs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,843 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for reverse, with forms such as "erverse", "reevrse", and "reveres". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "rivers", "revise", "revert", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English revers, from Anglo-Norman revers, Middle French revers, and their source, Latin reversus, perfect passive participle of reversō, from re- + versō. Doublet of revers. The correct English form is reverse, spelled R-E-V-E-R-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction.
  3. 3
    To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
  4. 4
    Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
  5. 5
    Reversed.
  6. 6
    In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.
  2. The mirror showed us a reverse view of the scene.

Etymology

From Middle English revers, from Anglo-Norman revers, Middle French revers, and their source, Latin reversus, perfect passive participle of reversō, from re- + versō. Doublet of revers.

Antonyms

normal

This word in other languages

reverso(Español)inverse(Français)umgekehrt(Deutsch)reverso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erverse
  • reevrse
  • reveres
  • reverrse
  • reversse
  • revesre
  • revrese
  • revverse
  • rreverse
  • rveerse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erverse2reevrse2reveres2reverrse1reversse1revesre2revrese2revverse1
Edit distance from "reverse"

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 "reverse"?
"reverse" is spelled R-E-V-E-R-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈvɜːs/.
What does "reverse" mean?
As an adjective, "reverse" means: Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.
What words are commonly confused with "reverse"?
"reverse" is commonly confused with "rivers", "revise", "revert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reverse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reverse" is /ɹɪˈvɜːs/. 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 "reverse"?
From Middle English revers, from Anglo-Norman revers, Middle French revers, and their source, Latin reversus, perfect passive participle of reversō, from re- + versō. Doublet of revers. 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 "reverse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

routine#3,844summary#3,850Patrick#3,832monitor#3,829

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

diseases10 variantsdivorce10 variantsfuneral10 variantscommerce10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list