verify
/ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/
"verify" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“verify” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,623 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #8,623
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To substantiate or prove the truth of something.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | verify |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #8,623 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “verify” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for verify is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,623 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 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 verify, with forms such as "evrify", "veirfy", and "verfiy". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "very", "verity", "verily", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French verifier (French: vérifier), from Medieval Latin vērificāre (“make true”), from Latin vērus (“true”) + faciō (“do, make”); see -fy. The correct English form is verify, spelled V-E-R-I-F-Y.
Definition
- 1To substantiate or prove the truth of something.
- 2To confirm or test the truth or accuracy of something.
- 3To affirm something formally, under oath.
Etymology
From Old French verifier (French: vérifier), from Medieval Latin vērificāre (“make true”), from Latin vērus (“true”) + faciō (“do, make”); see -fy.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: evrify,veirfy,verfiy,veriffy,verifyy,veriyf,verrify,vreify,vverify
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of verify - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “verify”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is V-E-R-I-F-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “very” - see the side-by-side comparison. verify vs very
- 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.