endorse
/ɪnˈdɔːs/
"endorse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“endorse” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,416 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #12,416
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To express support or approval, especially officially or publicly; to give an endorsement.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | endorse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈdɔːs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #12,416 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “endorse” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for endorse is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈdɔːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,416 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for endorse, with forms such as "ednorse", "enddorse", and "endores". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "endure", "enforce", "encore", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration influenced by Medieval Latin indorsare of Middle English endosse, from Old French endosser (“to put on the back”), from Latin dossum, alternative form of dorsum (“back”), from which also dorsal (“of the back”). That is, the ‘r’ was dropped in Lat… The correct English form is endorse, spelled E-N-D-O-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1To express support or approval, especially officially or publicly; to give an endorsement.
- 2To write one's signature on the back of a cheque, or other negotiable instrument, when transferring it to a third party, or cashing it.
- 3To add penalty points to one's driving licence as a result of a road traffic offence.
- 4To report (a symptom); to describe.
Etymology
Alteration influenced by Medieval Latin indorsare of Middle English endosse, from Old French endosser (“to put on the back”), from Latin dossum, alternative form of dorsum (“back”), from which also dorsal (“of the back”). That is, the ‘r’ was dropped in Latin dossum, which developed into Old French and then Middle English endosse, and then the ‘r’ was re-introduced into English via the Medieval Latin indorsare, which had retained the ‘r’. Note that the alternative spelling indorse also uses the initial ‘i’ from Latin (in-, rather than en-), but this form is now rare.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ednorse,enddorse,endores,endorrse,endorsse,endosre,endrose,enndorse,enodrse,nedorse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of endorse - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "endorse"?
What does "endorse" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "endorse"?
How do you pronounce "endorse"?
What is the origin of the word "endorse"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “endorse”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-N-D-O-R-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈdɔːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “endure” - see the side-by-side comparison. endorse vs endure
- 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.