yield

/jiːld/

//jiːld// verb

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

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

The verdict

“yield” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,567 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,567
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

yield vs yields
83% similar
yield vs yielded
71% similar
yield vs yell
60% similar

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

Key facts for yield
PropertyValue
Headwordyield
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/jiːld/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,567
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “yield” 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). yield 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 yield is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /jiːld/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,567 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for yield, with forms such as "iyeld", "yeild", and "yiedl". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "yields", "yielded", "yell", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yielden, yelden, ȝelden (“to yield, pay”), from Old English ġieldan (“to pay”), from Proto-West Germanic *geldan (“to pay”), from Proto-Germanic *geldaną (“to pay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”). The noun is from Middle E… The correct English form is yield, spelled Y-I-E-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
  2. 2
    To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
  3. 3
    To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
  4. 4
    To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
  5. 5
    To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
  6. 6
    To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
  7. 7
    To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
  8. 8
    To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
  9. 9
    To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
  10. 10
    To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
  11. 11
    To give up; to surrender or capitulate.

Etymology

From Middle English yielden, yelden, ȝelden (“to yield, pay”), from Old English ġieldan (“to pay”), from Proto-West Germanic *geldan (“to pay”), from Proto-Germanic *geldaną (“to pay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”). The noun is from Middle English ȝeld (“tax, payment”), from Old English ġield (“payment”), from Proto-West Germanic *geld (“payment”), from Proto-Germanic *geldą (“reward, gift, money”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”). Cognates Cognate with Scots yield (“to yield”), North Frisian jilden (“to pay”), Saterland Frisian jäilde (“to be valid, matter, count, be worth”), West Frisian jilde (“to pay”), Low German gellen, Dutch gelden (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), gelden (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), German gelten (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), Danish gælde (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), Icelandic gjalda (“to pay, yield, give”), Norwegian Bokmål gjelde (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), Norwegian Nynorsk gjelde, gjelda (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), Swedish gälda (“to pay”), gälla (“to apply, be regarded”). The noun is cognate with West Frisian jild (“money”), Dutch geld (“money”), Low German and German Geld (“money”), Danish gæld (“debt”), Faroese and Icelandic gjald (“fee, payment”), Norn gild (“payment”), Norwegian gjeld (“debt”), and Swedish gäld (“debt”). See also geld.

Synonyms

submitcapitulatemay imply a compensation with an enemyto end all resistance because of loss of hopesuccumbbecause of helplessness and extreme weaknessto the leader of an opposing forcerelentmercydeferreverenceaffectiongive waysurrendercontrolor possession of anothercedegive waygive awayto bowgive upproducean authoritybearcropssupplyto make available for usegive into trade awayright of yours

This word in other languages

ceder(Español)céder(Français)nachgeben(Deutsch)resultar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iyeld,yeild,yiedl,yieldd,yielld,yiled,yyield

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iyeld2yeild2yiedl2yieldd1yielld1yiled2yyield1
Edit distance from "yield"

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 "yield"?
"yield" is spelled Y-I-E-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /jiːld/.
What does "yield" mean?
As a verb, "yield" means: To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
What words are commonly confused with "yield"?
"yield" is commonly confused with "yields", "yielded", "yell". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yield"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yield" is /jiːld/. 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 "yield"?
From Middle English yielden, yelden, ȝelden (“to yield, pay”), from Old English ġieldan (“to pay”), from Proto-West Germanic *geldan (“to pay”), from Proto-Germanic *geldaną (“to pay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”). The noun is fro... 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 “yield”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is Y-I-E-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /jiːld/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “yields” - see the side-by-side comparison. yield vs yields
  • 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