make sure

verb

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

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

The verdict

“make sure” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ensure that something specific happens, is done etc., or of something happening.

Corpus desk

Index EN-make-sure · make sure · English

make sure · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for make sure
PropertyValue
Headwordmake sure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “make sure” in English

make surefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

make sure is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for make sure, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is make sure, spelled M-A-K-E- -S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ensure that something specific happens, is done etc., or of something happening.
  2. 2
    To make oneself certain (of something, or that something is the case); to verify, to ascertain.
  3. 3
    To feel certain of something; to be convinced.
  4. 4
    To betroth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'm going to make sure that I get to the interview on time.
  2. I expected to be able to get to the interview on time, but I left home earlier than usual just to make sure.

Synonyms

make certain* seemake doubly sureto it

This word in other languages

cerciorarse(Español)s'assurer(Français)sicherstellen(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "make sure"?
"make sure" is spelled M-A-K-E- -S-U-R-E.
What does "make sure" mean?
As a verb, "make sure" means: To ensure that something specific happens, is done etc., or of something happening.
What language does "make sure" come from?
"make sure" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list