measure

/ˈmɛʒ.ə/

//ˈmɛʒ.ə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“measure” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,261. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,261
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A prescribed quantity or extent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-measure · measure · English

measure · rank #2,261 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,261
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH maintain

Nearest frequency peer: maintain (-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 “measure”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “measure” 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).

measure vs measures
88% similar
measure vs measured
88% similar
measure vs mature
71% similar

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

Key facts for measure
PropertyValue
Headwordmeasure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛʒ.ə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,261
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “measure”

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).measurelands 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 “maintain” (#2,260), “MM” (#2,262), “leads” (#2,259). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “measure” is #2,261. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around measure (IPA /ˈmɛʒ.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,261 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 19 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for measure, with forms such as "emasure", "maesure", and "measrue". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "measures", "measured", "mature", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mesure, from Old French mesure, from Latin mēnsūra (“a measure”), mētior (“to measure”, supine stem in mēns-) + -tūra. Largely displaced native Old English metan ("to measure" whence modern mete) and ġemet (“a measure”). See also -ure. The correct English form is measure, spelled M-E-A-S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A prescribed quantity or extent.
  2. 2
    A prescribed quantity or extent.
  3. 3
    A prescribed quantity or extent.
  4. 4
    The act or result of measuring.
  5. 5
    The act or result of measuring.
  6. 6
    The act or result of measuring.
  7. 7
    The act or result of measuring.
  8. 8
    The act or result of measuring.
  9. 9
    The act or result of measuring.
  10. 10
    The act or result of measuring.
  11. 11
    The act or result of measuring.
  12. 12
    The act or result of measuring.
  13. 13
    The act or result of measuring.
  14. 14
    Metrical rhythm.
  15. 15
    Metrical rhythm.
  16. 16
    Metrical rhythm.
  17. 17
    Metrical rhythm.
  18. 18
    A course of action.
  19. 19
    A course of action.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I will correct thee in measure, and will not leaue thee altogether vnpunished.
  2. Mom's rage has no measure.

Etymology

From Middle English mesure, from Old French mesure, from Latin mēnsūra (“a measure”), mētior (“to measure”, supine stem in mēns-) + -tūra. Largely displaced native Old English metan ("to measure" whence modern mete) and ġemet (“a measure”). See also -ure.

Synonyms

barmetric

This word in other languages

medición(Español)mesure(Français)Maß(Deutsch)medida(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emasure
  • maesure
  • measrue
  • meassure
  • measuer
  • measurre
  • meausre
  • mesaure
  • mmeasure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emasure2maesure2measrue2meassure1measuer2measurre1meausre2mesaure2
Edit distance from "measure"

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 "measure"?
"measure" is spelled M-E-A-S-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛʒ.ə/.
What does "measure" mean?
As a noun, "measure" means: A prescribed quantity or extent.
What words are commonly confused with "measure"?
"measure" is commonly confused with "measures", "measured", "mature". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "measure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "measure" is /ˈmɛʒ.ə/. 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 "measure"?
From Middle English mesure, from Old French mesure, from Latin mēnsūra (“a measure”), mētior (“to measure”, supine stem in mēns-) + -tūra. Largely displaced native Old English metan ("to measure" whence modern mete) and ġemet (“a measure”). See al... 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 "measure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

kitchen#2,257journey#2,256focused#2,253finance#2,252

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

owners9 variantsTaylor9 variantsYouTube9 variantsstrike9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list