Which to use
“premise” and “promises” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,384
- “premise” frequency rank
- #4,701
- “promises” frequency rank
- 14085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | premise | promises |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A proposition antecedently supposed or proved; something previously stated or assumed as the basis of further argument; a condition; a supposition. | plural of promise |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set premise and promises apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
premise and promises form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
premise is recorded at frequency rank #9,384, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹɛm.ɪs/. promises is at rank #4,701, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹɑmɪsɪz/.
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 14085, this pair ranks #472,135 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "premise" and "promises" be used interchangeably?
Remembering premise vs promises
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “premise” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable