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revolve

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "revolve", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "revolve" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "revolve" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

revolve is aEnglishverb. It means: To bring back into a particular place or condition; to restore. Pronounced /ɹɪˈvɒlv/. Often confused with revolver and remove.

Key facts for revolve
PropertyValue
Headwordrevolve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈvɒlv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,342
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of revolve in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for revolve is 7 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈvɒlv/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,342 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 10 documented wrong-spelling variants for revolve, with forms such as "ervolve", "reovlve", and "revlove". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "revolver", "remove", "revolt", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English revolven (“to change direction”), borrowed from Old French revolver (“to reflect upon”), from Latin revolvere (“turn over, roll back, reflect upon”), from re- (“back”) + volvō (“roll”); see voluble, volve. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is revolve, spelled R-E-V-O-L-V-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bring back into a particular place or condition; to restore.
  2. 2
    To cause (something) to turn around a central point.
  3. 3
    To orbit a central point (especially of a celestial body).
  4. 4
    To rotate around an axis.
  5. 5
    To move in order or sequence.
  6. 6
    To ponder on; to reflect repeatedly upon; to consider all aspects of.
  7. 7
    To read through, to study (a book, author etc.).

Etymology

From Middle English revolven (“to change direction”), borrowed from Old French revolver (“to reflect upon”), from Latin revolvere (“turn over, roll back, reflect upon”), from re- (“back”) + volvō (“roll”); see voluble, volve.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ervolve,reovlve,revlove,revolev,revollve,revolvve,revovle,revvolve,rrevolve,rveolve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for revolve

Misspelling Variants of "revolve"

ervolve7reovlve7revlove7revolev7revollve8revolvve8revovle7revvolve8
Misspelling Variants of "revolve"

Frequency rank: #21,342 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "revolve"?
"revolve" is spelled R-E-V-O-L-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈvɒlv/.
What does "revolve" mean?
As a verb, "revolve" means: To bring back into a particular place or condition; to restore.
What words are commonly confused with "revolve"?
"revolve" is commonly confused with "revolver", "remove", "revolt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "revolve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "revolve" is /ɹɪˈvɒlv/. 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 "revolve"?
From Middle English revolven (“to change direction”), borrowed from Old French revolver (“to reflect upon”), from Latin revolvere (“turn over, roll back, reflect upon”), from re- (“back”) + volvō (“roll”); see voluble, volve. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.