strive
/ˈstɹaɪv/verb
strive is spelled S-T-R-I-V-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “strife vs strive” about 30 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, strive means “To try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in strive?
| Letters | 6: S-T-R-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is strive?
Strive appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 strive?
- /ˈstɹaɪv/
Strive 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: En-us-strive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with strive
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: strife.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of strive
- strives present, singular, he/she/it
- striving participle, present
- strove past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- strived past, participle, singular, he/she/it, plural
- striven participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does strive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently.
He strove to excel.
- 2
To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest.
to strive against fate
- 3
To vie; to compete as a rival.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Strive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | s'efforcer, s'appliquer , combattre |
| German | streben, sich bemühen, sich anstrengen, ringen um, sich einsetzen für , ringen mit |
| Portuguese | esforçar-se, batalhar, aplicar-se |
| Spanish | esforzarse por, afanar, aplicarse, romperse el lomo, deslomarse, luchar por |
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 strive come from?
From Middle English striven (“to strive”), from Old French estriver (“to compete, quarrel”), from Frankish *strīban (“to exert, make an effort”) from Proto-Germanic *strībaną, or from Frankish *stribēn (“to strive”) from Proto-Germanic *stribāną. As this verb is conjugated as if it were a strong verb (like drive, ride, and write), it is possible this word may instead be inherited from an unattested Old English *strīfan or *strifian, which would itself also be inherited from Proto-Germanic *strībaną.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).