subscribe

/səbˈskɹaɪb/

//səbˈskɹaɪb// verb

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

"subscribe" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“subscribe” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,965. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,965
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).

Corpus desk

Index EN-subscribe · subscribe · English

subscribe · rank #6,965 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,965
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sticking

Nearest frequency peer: sticking (-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 “subscribe”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “subscribe” 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).

subscribe vs subscriber
90% similar

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

Key facts for subscribe
PropertyValue
Headwordsubscribe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/səbˈskɹaɪb/
Letters9
Frequency rank#6,965
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “subscribe”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).subscribelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “sticking” (#6,964), “superman” (#6,966), “starter” (#6,963). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “subscribe” is #6,965. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around subscribe (IPA /səbˈskɹaɪb/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,965 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for subscribe, with forms such as "sbuscribe", "ssubscribe", and "subbscribe". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "subscriber", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English subscriben, subskryben, from Latin subscrībere. Compare its native English equivalent underwrite. The correct English form is subscribe, spelled S-U-B-S-C-R-I-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
  2. 2
    To sign; to mark with one's signature as a token of consent or attestation.
  3. 3
    To sign up to have copies of a publication, such as a newspaper or a magazine, delivered for a period of time.
  4. 4
    To pay for the provision of a service, such as Internet access, a cell phone plan, or a streaming service.
  5. 5
    To believe or agree with a theory or an idea [with to].
  6. 6
    To pay money to be a member of an organization.
  7. 7
    To contribute or promise to contribute money to a common fund.
  8. 8
    To promise to give, by writing one's name with the amount.
  9. 9
    To agree to buy shares in a company.
  10. 10
    To sign away; to yield; to surrender.
  11. 11
    To yield; to admit to being inferior or in the wrong.
  12. 12
    To declare over one's signature; to publish.
  13. 13
    To indicate interest in the communications made by a person or organization.
  14. 14
    To register for notifications about an event or similar.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [They] subscribed their names under them.
  2. […] although the will is holographic, and a holographic instrument cannot be admitted to probate where testator told the subscribing witnesses that it was not his will, […]

Etymology

From Middle English subscriben, subskryben, from Latin subscrībere. Compare its native English equivalent underwrite.

Synonyms

sign upunderwrite

This word in other languages

suscribirse(Español)abonner(Français)abonnieren(Deutsch)assinar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sbuscribe
  • ssubscribe
  • subbscribe
  • subcsribe
  • subsccribe
  • subscirbe
  • subscrbie
  • subscribbe
  • subscrieb
  • subscrribe
  • subsrcibe
  • subsscribe
  • susbcribe
  • usbscribe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of subscribe - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

sbuscribe2ssubscribe1subbscribe1subcsribe2subsccribe1subscirbe2subscrbie2subscribbe1
Edit distance from "subscribe"

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 "subscribe"?
"subscribe" is spelled S-U-B-S-C-R-I-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səbˈskɹaɪb/.
What does "subscribe" mean?
As a verb, "subscribe" means: To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
What words are commonly confused with "subscribe"?
"subscribe" is commonly confused with "subscriber". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "subscribe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "subscribe" is /səbˈskɹaɪb/. 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 "subscribe"?
From Middle English subscriben, subskryben, from Latin subscrībere. Compare its native English equivalent underwrite. 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 "subscribe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

machinery#6,932justified#6,928isolation#6,926inclusion#6,921

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

territories14 variantsquestioned14 variantsHampshire14 variantsharassment14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list