ensure

/ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/

//ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“ensure” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,039. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,039
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make sure or certain of something (usually some future event or condition).

Corpus desk

Index EN-ensure · ensure · English

ensure · rank #2,039 · 8 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,039
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH enemy

Nearest frequency peer: enemy (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ensure”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ensure” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

ensure vs entre
67% similar
ensure vs entire
67% similar
ensure vs erasure
71% similar

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

Key facts for ensure
PropertyValue
Headwordensure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,039
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ensure”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ensurelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “enemy” (#2,038), “environmental” (#2,040), “elements” (#2,037). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ensure” is #2,039. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around ensure (IPA /ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,039 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ensure, with forms such as "ennsure", "ensrue", and "enssure". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "entre", "entire", "erasure", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-Norman enseurer, from Old French seur (“sure”). Doublet of insure. The correct English form is ensure, spelled E-N-S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make sure or certain of something (usually some future event or condition).
  2. 2
    To make a pledge to (someone); to promise, guarantee (someone of something); to assure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I use an alarm clock to ensure that I get up on time.
  2. British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.

Etymology

From Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-Norman enseurer, from Old French seur (“sure”). Doublet of insure.

This word in other languages

asegurarse(Español)s'assurer(Français)sicherstellen(Deutsch)garantir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ennsure
  • ensrue
  • enssure
  • ensuer
  • ensurre
  • enusre
  • esnure
  • nesure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ensure - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ennsure1ensrue2enssure1ensuer2ensurre1enusre2esnure2nesure2
Edit distance from "ensure"

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 "ensure"?
"ensure" is spelled E-N-S-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/.
What does "ensure" mean?
As a verb, "ensure" means: To make sure or certain of something (usually some future event or condition).
What words are commonly confused with "ensure"?
"ensure" is commonly confused with "entre", "entire", "erasure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ensure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ensure" is /ɪnˈʃɔː(ɹ)/. 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 "ensure"?
From Middle English ensuren, from Anglo-Norman enseurer, from Old French seur (“sure”). Doublet of insure. 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 "ensure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

filled#2,041dating#2,035forest#2,043labour#2,046

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

crowd8 variantsafraid8 variantsbanks8 variantsbodies8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list