commit

/kəˈmɪt/

//kəˈmɪt// verb

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

"commit" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commit” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,067 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,067
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

commit vs common
67% similar
commit vs cosmic
67% similar
commit vs commute
71% similar

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

Key facts for commit
PropertyValue
Headwordcommit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈmɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,067
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “commit” 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). commit lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for commit is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəˈmɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,067 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for commit, with forms such as "ccommit", "cmomit", and "comimt". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "common", "cosmic", "commute", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English committen, itself borrowed from Latin committō (“to bring together, join, compare, commit (a wrong), incur, give in charge, etc.”), from com- (“together”) + mittō (“to send”). See mission. The correct English form is commit, spelled C-O-M-M-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto.
  2. 2
    To imprison: to forcibly place in a jail.
  3. 3
    To forcibly evaluate and treat in a medical facility, particularly for presumed mental illness.
  4. 4
    To do (something bad); to perpetrate, as a crime, sin, or fault.
  5. 5
    To pledge or bind; to compromise, expose, or endanger by some decisive act or preliminary step. (Traditionally used only reflexively but now also without oneself etc.)
  6. 6
    To make a set of changes permanent.
  7. 7
    To integrate new revisions into the public or master version of a file in a version control system.
  8. 8
    To enter into a contest; to match; often followed by with.
  9. 9
    To confound.
  10. 10
    To commit an offence; especially, to fornicate.
  11. 11
    To be committed or perpetrated; to take place; to occur.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English committen, itself borrowed from Latin committō (“to bring together, join, compare, commit (a wrong), incur, give in charge, etc.”), from com- (“together”) + mittō (“to send”). See mission.

Synonyms

5150sectioncheck in

This word in other languages

encomendar(Español)confier(Français)anvertrauen(Deutsch)internar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccommit,cmomit,comimt,comit,committ,commti,ocmmit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccommit1cmomit2comimt2comit1committ1commti2ocmmit2
Edit distance from "commit"

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 "commit"?
"commit" is spelled C-O-M-M-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɪt/.
What does "commit" mean?
As a verb, "commit" means: To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto.
What words are commonly confused with "commit"?
"commit" is commonly confused with "common", "cosmic", "commute". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "commit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commit" is /kəˈmɪt/. 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 "commit"?
Inherited from Middle English committen, itself borrowed from Latin committō (“to bring together, join, compare, commit (a wrong), incur, give in charge, etc.”), from com- (“together”) + mittō (“to send”). See mission. 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.

Using “commit”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-M-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəˈmɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “common” - see the side-by-side comparison. commit vs common
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list