solve
/sɑlv/
"solve" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“solve” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,528. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #3,528
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
Corpus desk
Index EN-solve · solve · English
solve · rank #3,528 · 7 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #3,528
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 7 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH soil
Nearest frequency peer: soil (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “solve”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- sexy
sexy
96,476 corpus weight
- skill
skill
96,475 corpus weight
- soil
soil
96,474 corpus weight
- solve
solve
96,473 corpus weight
- stomach
stomach
96,472 corpus weight
- struck
struck
96,471 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “solve” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | solve |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /sɑlv/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #3,528 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “solve” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around solve (IPA /sɑlv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,528 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for solve, with forms such as "oslve", "slove", and "solev". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sov", "some", "sore", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English solven, from Latin solvō. The correct English form is solve, spelled S-O-L-V-E.
Definition
- 1To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
- 2to find out the perpetrator, the motive etc (of crime)
- 3To find the values of variables that satisfy a system of equations and/or inequalities.
- 4To algebraically manipulate an equation or inequality into a form that isolates a chosen variable on one side, so that the other side consists of an expression that may be used to generate solutions.
- 5To loosen or separate the parts of.
- 6To loosen or separate the parts of.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how solve appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
True piety would effectually solve such scruples.
God shall solve the dark decrees of fate.
Etymology
From Middle English solven, from Latin solvō.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- oslve
- slove
- solev
- sollve
- solvve
- sovle
- ssolve
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of solve - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "solve"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "solve", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "solve". Here's where to go from here.
- "solve" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sov". View pair
- 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #3,528 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.