tivo

verb

"tivo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tivo” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #46,222 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#46,222
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To digitally record (a television show).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tivo vs to
50% similar
tivo vs TV
0% similar
tivo vs two
50% similar

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

Key facts for tivo
PropertyValue
Headwordtivo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters4
Frequency rank#46,222
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tivo” 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). tivo 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 tivo is 4 letters long, classified as a verb. Corpus data places it at rank #46,222 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for tivo, with forms such as "itvo", "tiov", and "tivvo". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "to", "TV", "two", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the TiVo service. The correct English form is tivo, spelled T-I-V-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    To digitally record (a television show).
  2. 2
    To have a show on one's lineup of shows to record.

Etymology

From the TiVo service.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: itvo,tiov,tivvo,ttivo,tvio

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

itvo2tiov2tivvo1ttivo1tvio2
Edit distance from "tivo"

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 "tivo"?
"tivo" is spelled T-I-V-O.
What does "tivo" mean?
As a verb, "tivo" means: To digitally record (a television show).
What words are commonly confused with "tivo"?
"tivo" is commonly confused with "to", "TV", "two". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "tivo"?
From the TiVo service. 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 “tivo”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-I-V-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “to” - see the side-by-side comparison. tivo vs to
  • 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