shrive
/ˈʃɹaɪv/
"shrive" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“shrive” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To hear or receive a confession (of sins etc.).
Corpus desk
Index EN-shrive · shrive · English
shrive · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | shrive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈʃɹaɪv/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “shrive” in English
Rare enough to double-check
shrive is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈʃɹaɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for shrive, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English shryven, shriven, schrifen, from Old English sċrīfan (“1. to decree, pass judgement, prescribe, 3. (of a priest) to prescribe penance or absolution”), from Proto-West Germanic *skrīban, from late Proto-Germanic *skrībaną, a borrowing fro… The correct English form is shrive, spelled S-H-R-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1To hear or receive a confession (of sins etc.).
- 2To free from guilt, to absolve.
- 3To prescribe penance or absolution.
- 4To confess, and receive absolution.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how shrive appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.
Doubtless he shrives this woman, […] / Else ne'er could he so long protract his speech.
Etymology
From Middle English shryven, shriven, schrifen, from Old English sċrīfan (“1. to decree, pass judgement, prescribe, 3. (of a priest) to prescribe penance or absolution”), from Proto-West Germanic *skrīban, from late Proto-Germanic *skrībaną, a borrowing from Latin scrībō (“write”). Compare West Frisian skriuwe (“to write”), Low German schrieven (“to write”), Dutch schrijven (“to write”), German schreiben (“to write”), Danish skrive (“to write”), Swedish skriva (“to write”), Icelandic skrifa (“to write”). More at scribe and scribble.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.