survey

/ˈsɜːveɪ/

//ˈsɜːveɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“survey” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,091 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,091
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of surveying; a general view.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

survey vs surveyor
75% similar
survey vs sure
67% similar
survey vs serve
67% similar

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

Key facts for survey
PropertyValue
Headwordsurvey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɜːveɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,091
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “survey” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for survey is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɜːveɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,091 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for survey, with forms such as "sruvey", "ssurvey", and "surevy". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "surveyor", "sure", "serve", 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 surveyen, from Old French sourveoir, surveer (“to oversee”), from sour-, sur- (“over”) + veoir, veeir (“to see”), from Latin videre. See sur- and vision. Related to supervision. The correct English form is survey, spelled S-U-R-V-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of surveying; a general view.
  2. 2
    A particular view; an examination, especially an official examination, of a particular group of items, in order to ascertain the condition, quantity, or quality.
  3. 3
    The operation of finding the contour, dimensions, position, or other particulars of any part of the Earth's surface.
  4. 4
    A measured plan and description of any portion of country.
  5. 5
    An examination of the opinions of a group of people.
  6. 6
    A questionnaire or similar instrument used for examining the opinions of a group of people.
  7. 7
    An auction at which a farm is let for a lease for lives.
  8. 8
    A district for the collection of customs under a particular officer.

Etymology

From Middle English surveyen, from Old French sourveoir, surveer (“to oversee”), from sour-, sur- (“over”) + veoir, veeir (“to see”), from Latin videre. See sur- and vision. Related to supervision.

Synonyms

prospectsurveilreview

This word in other languages

sondeo(Español)sondage(Français)Umfrage(Deutsch)sondagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sruvey,ssurvey,surevy,surrvey,surveyy,survvey,survye,suvrey,usrvey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of survey - 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.

sruvey2ssurvey1surevy2surrvey1surveyy1survvey1survye2suvrey2
Edit distance from "survey"

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 "survey"?
"survey" is spelled S-U-R-V-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɜːveɪ/.
What does "survey" mean?
As a noun, "survey" means: The act of surveying; a general view.
What words are commonly confused with "survey"?
"survey" is commonly confused with "surveyor", "sure", "serve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "survey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "survey" is /ˈsɜːveɪ/. 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 "survey"?
From Middle English surveyen, from Old French sourveoir, surveer (“to oversee”), from sour-, sur- (“over”) + veoir, veeir (“to see”), from Latin videre. See sur- and vision. Related to supervision. 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.

Using “survey”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-R-V-E-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɜːveɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “surveyor” - see the side-by-side comparison. survey vs surveyor
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list