verb

/vɜːb/

//vɜːb// noun

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

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

The verdict

“verb” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,965. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,965
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.

Corpus desk

Index EN-verb · verb · English

verb · rank #10,965 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,965
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH vanished

Nearest frequency peer: vanished (-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 “verb”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “verb” 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).

verb vs VR
0% similar
verb vs vet
50% similar
verb vs vex
50% similar

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

Key facts for verb
PropertyValue
Headwordverb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/vɜːb/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,965
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “verb”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).verblands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “vanished” (#10,964), “Vanessa” (#10,963), “UT” (#10,962). Among 969 “V” headwords, “verb” is #10,965. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around verb (IPA /vɜːb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,965 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for verb, with forms such as "evrb", "vebr", and "verbb". 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, "VR", "vet", "vex", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English verbe, directly from Latin verbum (“word, verb”), reinforced by Old French verbe, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰo-. Doublet of verve and word. The correct English form is verb, spelled V-E-R-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
  2. 2
    Any word; a vocable.
  3. 3
    An action as opposed to a trait or thing.
  4. 4
    A named command that performs a specific operation on an object.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The word “speak” is an English verb.
  2. In ſo moche that if any verbe be of the thyꝛde coniugation / I ſet out all his rotes and tenſes[…]

Etymology

From Middle English verbe, directly from Latin verbum (“word, verb”), reinforced by Old French verbe, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰo-. Doublet of verve and word.

Synonyms

verbaction word

This word in other languages

verbo(Español)verbe(Français)Verb(Deutsch)verbo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • evrb
  • vebr
  • verbb
  • verrb
  • vreb
  • vverb

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

evrb2vebr2verbb1verrb1vreb2vverb1
Edit distance from "verb"

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 "verb"?
"verb" is spelled V-E-R-B. The IPA pronunciation is /vɜːb/.
What does "verb" mean?
As a noun, "verb" means: A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
What words are commonly confused with "verb"?
"verb" is commonly confused with "VR", "vet", "vex". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "verb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "verb" is /vɜːb/. 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 "verb"?
From Middle English verbe, directly from Latin verbum (“word, verb”), reinforced by Old French verbe, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰo-. Doublet of verve and word. 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 "verb", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

apex#10,981tile#10,948tate#10,945beck#10,989

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

ample6 variantscalf6 variantscapt6 variantsRory6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list