survive

Name: survive, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/səˈvaɪv/

//səˈvaɪv// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“survive” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,920 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,920
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a person, to continue to live; to remain alive.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

survive vs survivor

75% similar

survive vs strive

71% similar

survive vs service

71% similar

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

Key facts for survive
Property	Value
Headword	survive
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/səˈvaɪv/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#2,920
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “survive” 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). survive lands here:

#2,920

#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 survive is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səˈvaɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,920 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for survive, with forms such as "sruvive", "ssurvive", and "surivve". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "survivor", "strive", "service", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman survivre, Old French survivre, from Late Latin supervivere (“to outlive”), from Latin super (“over”) + vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”). See vivid. Compare devive, revive. The correct English form is survive, spelled S-U-R-V-I-V-E.

Definition

1
Of a person, to continue to live; to remain alive.
2
Of an object or concept, to continue to exist.
3
To live past (a life-threatening event)
4
To live longer than (someone); to outlive (someone or something); to outlast (something).
5
To be a victim of nonfatal but substantial harm and nonetheless to display the strength to heal; especially, after a crime or an illness, especially sexual or physical abuse or assault, cancer, or a natural disaster.
6
Of a team, to avoid relegation or demotion to a lower division or league.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman survivre, Old French survivre, from Late Latin supervivere (“to outlive”), from Latin super (“over”) + vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”). See vivid. Compare devive, revive.

This word in other languages

sobrevivir(Español)survivre(Français)überleben(Deutsch)sobreviver(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sruvive,ssurvive,surivve,surrvive,surviev,survivve,survvie,survvive,suvrive,usrvive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of survive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "survive"

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 "survive"?

"survive" is spelled S-U-R-V-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈvaɪv/.

What does "survive" mean?

As a verb, "survive" means: Of a person, to continue to live; to remain alive.

What words are commonly confused with "survive"?

"survive" is commonly confused with "survivor", "strive", "service". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "survive"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "survive" is /səˈvaɪv/. 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 "survive"?

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 “survive”

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

The one correct English spelling is S-U-R-V-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /səˈvaɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “survivor” - see the side-by-side comparison. survive vs survivor
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.