revile

/ɹəˈvaɪl/

//ɹəˈvaɪl// verb

"revile" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“revile” is uncommon English (frequency #97,494 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,494
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To attack (someone) with abusive language.

Corpus desk

Index EN-revile · revile · English

revile · rank #97,494 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,494
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reproof

Nearest frequency peer: reproof (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “revile”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “revile” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for revile
PropertyValue
Headwordrevile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹəˈvaɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#97,494
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “revile” in English

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).revilefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “reproof” (#97,492), “relight” (#97,489), “Rogge” (#97,501). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “revile” is #97,494. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

revile is uncommon English at frequency #97,494 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹəˈvaɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To attack (someone) with abusive language.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for revile, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English revilen, from re + Old French aviler (“to make vile or cheap, disprize, disesteem”), from a- (“to”) + vil (“vile, cheap”); see vile. The correct English form is revile, spelled R-E-V-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To attack (someone) with abusive language.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. who, when he was reviled, reviled not again
  2. And did not she herself revile me there?

Etymology

From Middle English revilen, from re + Old French aviler (“to make vile or cheap, disprize, disesteem”), from a- (“to”) + vil (“vile, cheap”); see vile.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "revile"?
"revile" is spelled R-E-V-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈvaɪl/.
What does "revile" mean?
As a verb, "revile" means: To attack (someone) with abusive language.
How do you pronounce "revile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "revile" is /ɹəˈvaɪl/. 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 "revile"?
From Middle English revilen, from re + Old French aviler (“to make vile or cheap, disprize, disesteem”), from a- (“to”) + vil (“vile, cheap”); see vile. 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 "revile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list