How to spell conceive

hear itcon·ceive/kən'siv/verbHidden vowels

What it means: To form an idea or plan.

In a sentence: A bird can conceive a plan to build its nest in a tree.

The part people get wrong

Watch for the order of ei. Often misspelled as concieve or conceeve.

Same family: conceived, conceiving, conceivable, inconceivable, conception. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Conceive comes from Old French "conceivre" and Latin "concipere," meaning "to take in" or "to become pregnant." That’s why it can mean both to form an idea in your mind and, in another common use, to become pregnant.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

deceive · seize · speedometer · discrete · discreet

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