arriver

\a.ʁi.ve\

/\a.ʁi.ve\/ verb

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

The verdict

“arriver” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #839 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#839
frequency rank, French
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Parvenir à destination.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

arriver vs arrivés
71% similar
arriver vs arrivez
86% similar
arriver vs arroser
71% similar

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

Key facts for arriver
PropertyValue
Headwordarriver
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\a.ʁi.ve\
Letters7
Frequency rank#839
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arriver” sits in French 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). arriver 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 French entry for arriver is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \a.ʁi.ve\. Corpus data places it at rank #839 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for arriver, with forms such as "arirver", "ariver", and "arrievr". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "arrivés", "arrivez", "arroser", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is arriver, spelled A-R-R-I-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Parvenir à destination.
  2. 2
    Réussir.
  3. 3
    Survenir, se produire.
  4. 4
    Être sur le point de survenir.
  5. 5
    Atteindre une étape dans l’exécution d’une tâche, dans le temps.
  6. 6
    Se rendre jusqu'à un point donné.
  7. 7
    Aboutir dans une tentative.
  8. 8
    Venir ; s’approcher.
  9. 9
    Devenir riche, de haut niveau social.
  10. 10
    Aborder, approcher de la rive.
  11. 11
    Se dit d’un bâtiment qui se dirige, qui vient sur un autre.
  12. 12
    S'écarter du lit du vent.

Synonyms

atteindreréussirparvenir

This word in other languages

arrive(English)llegar(Español)ankommen(Deutsch)chegar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: arirver,ariver,arrievr,arriverr,arrivre,arrivver,arrvier,rariver

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of arriver - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

arirver2ariver1arrievr2arriverr1arrivre2arrivver1arrvier2rariver2
Edit distance from "arriver"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "arriver"?
"arriver" is spelled A-R-R-I-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \a.ʁi.ve\.
What does "arriver" mean?
As a verb, "arriver" means: Parvenir à destination.
What words are commonly confused with "arriver"?
"arriver" is commonly confused with "arrivés", "arrivez", "arroser". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "arriver"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arriver" is \a.ʁi.ve\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "arriver" come from?
"arriver" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “arriver”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-R-R-I-V-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \a.ʁi.ve\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “arrivés” - see the side-by-side comparison. arriver vs arrivés
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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