assuage

/əˈsweɪd͡ʒ/

//əˈsweɪd͡ʒ// verb

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

"assuage" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“assuage” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,210. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,210
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To lessen the intensity of, to mitigate or relieve (hunger, emotion, pain, etc.).

Corpus desk

Index EN-assuage · assuage · English

assuage · rank #45,210 · 5 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,210
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH asthmatic

Nearest frequency peer: asthmatic (+1 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 “assuage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “assuage” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

assuage vs assume
71% similar
assuage vs assure
71% similar
assuage vs Assange
57% similar

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

Key facts for assuage
PropertyValue
Headwordassuage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈsweɪd͡ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#45,210
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “assuage” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).assuagelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “asthmatic” (#45,211), “applesauce” (#45,207), “awed” (#45,213). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around assuage (IPA /əˈsweɪd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #45,210 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for assuage, with forms such as "assauge", "assuaeg", and "assuagge". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "assume", "assure", "Assange", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English aswagen, from Old French asuagier (“to appease, to calm”), from Vulgar Latin *assuāviō (“I sweeten, I butter up, I calm”), derived from Latin ad- + suāvis (“sweet”) + -iō. The correct English form is assuage, spelled A-S-S-U-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To lessen the intensity of, to mitigate or relieve (hunger, emotion, pain, etc.).
  2. 2
    To pacify or soothe (someone).
  3. 3
    To calm down, become less violent (of passion, hunger etc.); to subside, to abate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Refreshing winds the summer's heat assuage.
  2. to assuage the sorrows of a desolate old man

Etymology

From Middle English aswagen, from Old French asuagier (“to appease, to calm”), from Vulgar Latin *assuāviō (“I sweeten, I butter up, I calm”), derived from Latin ad- + suāvis (“sweet”) + -iō.

This word in other languages

calmar(Español)assouvir(Français)lindern(Deutsch)mitigar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • assauge
  • assuaeg
  • assuagge
  • assugae
  • asuage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of assuage - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

assauge2assuaeg2assuagge1assugae2asuage1
Edit distance from "assuage"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "assuage"?
"assuage" is spelled A-S-S-U-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈsweɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "assuage" mean?
As a verb, "assuage" means: To lessen the intensity of, to mitigate or relieve (hunger, emotion, pain, etc.).
What words are commonly confused with "assuage"?
"assuage" is commonly confused with "assume", "assure", "Assange". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "assuage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "assuage" is /əˈsweɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "assuage"?
From Middle English aswagen, from Old French asuagier (“to appease, to calm”), from Vulgar Latin *assuāviō (“I sweeten, I butter up, I calm”), derived from Latin ad- + suāvis (“sweet”) + -iō. 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 "assuage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Angolan#45,204bazooka#45,221airlock#45,194bighorn#45,229

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

Beebe5 variantsaffix5 variantsaddon5 variantsboho5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "assuage". Here's where to go from here.

  • "assuage" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "assume". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #45,210 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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