verify

/ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/

//ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“verify” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,623. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,623
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To substantiate or prove the truth of something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-verify · verify · English

verify · rank #8,623 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,623
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH uniforms

Nearest frequency peer: uniforms (-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 “verify”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “verify” 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).

verify vs very
67% similar
verify vs verity
83% similar
verify vs verily
83% similar

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

Key facts for verify
PropertyValue
Headwordverify
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,623
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “verify”

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).verifylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “uniforms” (#8,622), “villain” (#8,624), “undoubtedly” (#8,621). Among 969 “V” headwords, “verify” is #8,623. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around verify (IPA /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #8,623 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    To substantiate or prove the truth of something.
  2. 2
    To confirm or test the truth or accuracy of something.
  3. 3
    To affirm something formally, under oath.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In comparison, it takes about a minute to save, rewind and manually verify a similar file on a cassette.

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

verificar(Español)vérifier(Français)belegen(Deutsch)verificar(Português)

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.

evrify2veirfy2verfiy2veriffy1verifyy1veriyf2verrify1vreify2
Edit distance from "verify"

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 "verify"?
"verify" is spelled V-E-R-I-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/.
What does "verify" mean?
As a verb, "verify" means: To substantiate or prove the truth of something.
What words are commonly confused with "verify"?
"verify" is commonly confused with "very", "verity", "verily". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "verify"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "verify" is /ˈvɛɹɪfaɪ/. 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 "verify"?
From Old French verifier (French: vérifier), from Medieval Latin vērificāre (“make true”), from Latin vērus (“true”) + faciō (“do, make”); see -fy. 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 "verify", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

yearly#8,630blades#8,642robbed#8,601cables#8,646

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

abusive9 variantsappetite9 variantssadness9 variantsrented9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list