vivid

/ˈvɪvɪd/

//ˈvɪvɪd// adj

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

"vivid" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vivid” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,478. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,478
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Clear, detailed, or powerful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vivid · vivid · English

vivid · rank #10,478 · 7 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,478
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH violate

Nearest frequency peer: violate (-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 “vivid”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vivid” 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).

vivid vs void
60% similar
vivid vs Vivien
50% similar
vivid vs vividly
71% similar

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

Key facts for vivid
PropertyValue
Headwordvivid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvɪvɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,478
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vivid”

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).vividlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “violate” (#10,477), “waving” (#10,479), “accusing” (#10,480). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vivid” is #10,478. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around vivid (IPA /ˈvɪvɪd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,478 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for vivid, with forms such as "ivvid", "viivd", and "vivdi". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "void", "Vivien", "vividly", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin vividus (“animated, spirited”), from vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”), Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”). The noun sense (a type of marker pen) was genericized from Bic's Vivid Marker brand. The correct English form is vivid, spelled V-I-V-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Clear, detailed, or powerful.
  2. 2
    Bright, intense, or colourful.
  3. 3
    Full of life; strikingly alive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Whenever the locomotive was working hard there was unmistakable evidence of its higher power than its predecessors in the brilliant and explosive arcing between conductor shoes and the third rail; this was particularly vivid in Quarry Tunnel in the down direction, where the display equalled anything we have seen on the frostiest of nights in an electrifie…
  2. The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. To display them the walls had been tinted a vivid blue which had now faded, but the carpet, which had evidently been stored and recently relaid, retained its original turquoise.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vividus (“animated, spirited”), from vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”), Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”). The noun sense (a type of marker pen) was genericized from Bic's Vivid Marker brand.

This word in other languages

vívido(Español)vivide(Français)lebendig(Deutsch)vívido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivvid
  • viivd
  • vivdi
  • vividd
  • vivvid
  • vviid
  • vvivid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ivvid2viivd2vivdi2vividd1vivvid1vviid2vvivid1
Edit distance from "vivid"

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 "vivid"?
"vivid" is spelled V-I-V-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɪvɪd/.
What does "vivid" mean?
As an adjective, "vivid" means: Clear, detailed, or powerful.
What words are commonly confused with "vivid"?
"vivid" is commonly confused with "void", "Vivien", "vividly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vivid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vivid" is /ˈvɪvɪd/. 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 "vivid"?
Learned borrowing from Latin vividus (“animated, spirited”), from vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”), Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”). The noun sense (a type of marker pen) was genericized from Bic's Vivid Marker brand. 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 "vivid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aided#10,481Bella#10,498belts#10,499boxer#10,501

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

tossed7 variantsbrook7 variantsrigid7 variantsDoyle7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list