solve
/sɒlv/verb
solve is spelled S-O-L-V-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, solve means “To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in solve?
| Letters | 5: S-O-L-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,479th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is solve?
Solve appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce solve?
- UK /sɒlv/
- British /sɒlv/
- British [sɔɫv] ~(l-vocalization)[sɔʊ̯v]
Solve has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-solve.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with solve?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as solve from its last stressed vowel (/ɒlv/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of solve
- solves present, singular, he/she/it
- solving participle, present
- solved participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does solve mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
- 2
to find out the perpetrator, the motive etc (of crime)
to solve a murder to solve a crime
- 3
To find the values of variables that satisfy a system of equations and/or inequalities.
- 4
To 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.
- 5
To loosen or separate the parts of.
- 6
archaicTo dissolve
noun
- 1
archaicA solution; an explanation.
KEVIN: I decided a long time ago that just because I love Raymond, doesn't mean I have to love the people he works with. Good solve, Detective.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Solve in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | résoudre, régler, solutionner |
| German | lösen , aufklären, klären |
| Portuguese | resolver, solucionar |
| Spanish | solucionar, solventar, solver |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does solve come from?
From Middle English solven, from Latin solvō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).