appraise

/əˈpɹeɪz/

//əˈpɹeɪz// verb

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

"appraise" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“appraise” is uncommon English (frequency #50,359 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,359
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To determine the value or worth of (something), particularly as a person appointed for this purpose.

Corpus desk

Index EN-appraise · appraise · English

appraise · rank #50,359 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,359
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH antimony

Nearest frequency peer: antimony (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “appraise”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “appraise” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for appraise
PropertyValue
Headwordappraise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɹeɪz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#50,359
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “appraise” 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). appraise lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

appraise is uncommon English at frequency #50,359 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈpɹeɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for appraise, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English apreisen, from Old French aprisier (“apraise, set a price on”) (compare modern French apprécier), from Late Latin appretiare, from ad- + Latin pretium (“price, value”) (English precious), from which also appreciate, a doublet. The correct English form is appraise, spelled A-P-P-R-A-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To determine the value or worth of (something), particularly as a person appointed for this purpose.
  2. 2
    To consider comprehensively.
  3. 3
    To judge the performance of someone, especially a worker.
  4. 4
    To estimate; to conjecture.
  5. 5
    To praise; to commend.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how appraise appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. to appraise goods and chattels
  2. At the end of the contract, you will be appraised by your line manager.

Etymology

From Middle English apreisen, from Old French aprisier (“apraise, set a price on”) (compare modern French apprécier), from Late Latin appretiare, from ad- + Latin pretium (“price, value”) (English precious), from which also appreciate, a doublet.

Synonyms

appraiseappriseapprizeassessesteemevaluatejudgepriceprizeratevaluatevalueweighworthen

Antonyms

discountmisappraise

This word in other languages

aforar(Español)einschätzen(Deutsch)avaliar(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "appraise"?
"appraise" is spelled A-P-P-R-A-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɹeɪz/.
What does "appraise" mean?
As a verb, "appraise" means: To determine the value or worth of (something), particularly as a person appointed for this purpose.
How do you pronounce "appraise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appraise" is /əˈpɹeɪz/. 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 "appraise"?
From Middle English apreisen, from Old French aprisier (“apraise, set a price on”) (compare modern French apprécier), from Late Latin appretiare, from ad- + Latin pretium (“price, value”) (English precious), from which also appreciate, a doublet. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "appraise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

antimony#50,357armature#50,362Anheuser#50,355ambushes#50,352
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