Which to use
“assumed” and “assure” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,669
- “assumed” frequency rank
- #6,438
- “assure” frequency rank
- 10107
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | assumed | assure |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of assume | To make sure and secure; ensure. |
Where the eye mixes assumed and assure
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. assumed runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against assure's 6 (VCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between assumed and assure
A purely visual mix-up. assumed (/əˈsjuːmd/) and assure (/əˈʃɔː(ɹ)/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
assumed is recorded at frequency rank #3,669, classified as averb, pronounced /əˈsjuːmd/. assure is at rank #6,438, tagged as averb, pronounced /əˈʃɔː(ɹ)/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 10107, this pair ranks #493,994 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of assumed vs assure
Shared letters: aesu. Private to "assumed": dm. Private to "assure": r.
"assumed" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "assure" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "assumed" for "assure" ever safe?
Frequency check: "assumed" vs "assure" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "assumed" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "assure" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #493,994 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "assumed" and "assure" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "assuage vs assure". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #493,994 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.