sleeve

/sliːv/

//sliːv// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sleeve” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,979. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,979
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part of a garment that covers the arm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sleeve · sleeve · English

sleeve · rank #7,979 · 8 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,979
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sixty

Nearest frequency peer: sixty (-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 “sleeve”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sleeve” 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).

sleeve vs Steve
50% similar
sleeve vs Steele
50% similar
sleeve vs sneeze
67% similar

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

Key facts for sleeve
PropertyValue
Headwordsleeve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sliːv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,979
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sleeve”

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).sleevelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sixty” (#7,978), “sonic” (#7,980), “siege” (#7,977). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sleeve” is #7,979. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sleeve (IPA /sliːv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,979 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sleeve, with forms such as "lseeve", "seleve", and "sleeev". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "Steve", "Steele", "sneeze", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sleve, slefe, from Old English slīef and slīefe (“sleeve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sleeuwe (“sleeve”), West Frisian slúf, Dutch sloof (“apron”), Low German sluve, dialectal German Schlaube. The Canadian sense of “measure smaller … The correct English form is sleeve, spelled S-L-E-E-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of a garment that covers the arm.
  2. 2
    A (usually tubular) covering or lining to protect a piece of machinery etc.
  3. 3
    A protective jacket or case, especially for a record, containing art and information about the contents; also the analogous leaflet found in a packaged CD.
  4. 4
    A tattoo covering the whole arm.
  5. 5
    A narrow channel of water.
  6. 6
    Sleave; untwisted thread.
  7. 7
    A serving of beer smaller than a pint, typically measuring between 12 and 16 ounces.
  8. 8
    A long, cylindrical plastic bag of cookies or crackers, or a similar package of disposable drinking cups.
  9. 9
    A double tube of copper into which the ends of bare wires are pushed so that when the tube is twisted an electrical connection is made. The joint thus made is called a McIntire joint.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The sleeves on my coat are too long.
  2. This bearing requires a sleeve so the shaft will fit snugly.

Etymology

From Middle English sleve, slefe, from Old English slīef and slīefe (“sleeve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sleeuwe (“sleeve”), West Frisian slúf, Dutch sloof (“apron”), Low German sluve, dialectal German Schlaube. The Canadian sense of “measure smaller than a pint” is due to a former conflict between federal law and provincial law in British Columbia. According to federal law, a pint must be 20 imperial ounces (~568 ml), but according to provincial law at the time, the maximum individual serving size was 500 ml, so an individual portion could not be called a “pint” in British Columbia, and required a different term. The provincial law has been changed, allowing servings of up to 24 oz (~682 ml), but the term remains in use. The term sleeve itself for a cylindrical glass of beer is also found in the UK and Australia (as sleever), and may be due to stacked glasses resembling a sleeve.

This word in other languages

manga(Español)manche(Français)Ärmel(Deutsch)manga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lseeve
  • seleve
  • sleeev
  • sleevve
  • sleve
  • slevee
  • slleeve
  • ssleeve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sleeve - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

lseeve2seleve2sleeev2sleevve1sleve1slevee2slleeve1ssleeve1
Edit distance from "sleeve"

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 "sleeve"?
"sleeve" is spelled S-L-E-E-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /sliːv/.
What does "sleeve" mean?
As a noun, "sleeve" means: The part of a garment that covers the arm.
What words are commonly confused with "sleeve"?
"sleeve" is commonly confused with "Steve", "Steele", "sneeze". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sleeve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sleeve" is /sliːv/. 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 "sleeve"?
From Middle English sleve, slefe, from Old English slīef and slīefe (“sleeve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sleeuwe (“sleeve”), West Frisian slúf, Dutch sloof (“apron”), Low German sluve, dialectal German Schlaube. The Canadian sense of “measur... 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 "sleeve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shells#7,976tenure#7,988Venice#7,997pistol#7,959

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

sixty8 variantsPerth8 variantsexceed8 variantsfierce8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list