pass

/pɑːs/

//pɑːs// verb

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

"pass" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pass” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #952) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#952
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To change place.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pass · pass · English

pass · rank #952 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #952
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH offer

Nearest frequency peer: offer (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pass”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pass” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

pass vs PS
0% similar
pass vs pay
50% similar
pass vs pat
50% similar

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

Key facts for pass
PropertyValue
Headwordpass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɑːs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#952
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pass” 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). pass lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for pass is neighbouring look-alikes ("PS", "pay", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /pɑːs/. Frequency #952 among 4,417 “P” headwords. 40 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for pass, with forms such as "apss", "ppass", and "psas". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PS", "pay", "pat", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English passen, from Old French passer (“to step, walk, pass”), from Vulgar Latin *passāre (“step, walk, pass”), derived from Latin passus (“a step”), from Proto-Italic *pat-s-tus, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread, stretch out”). Cog… The correct English form is pass, spelled P-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To change place.
  2. 2
    To change place.
  3. 3
    To change place.
  4. 4
    To change place.
  5. 5
    To change place.
  6. 6
    To change place.
  7. 7
    To change place.
  8. 8
    To change place.
  9. 9
    To change place.
  10. 10
    To change place.
  11. 11
    To change place.
  12. 12
    To change place.
  13. 13
    To change place.
  14. 14
    To change in state or status
  15. 15
    To change in state or status
  16. 16
    To change in state or status
  17. 17
    To change in state or status
  18. 18
    To change in state or status
  19. 19
    To change in state or status
  20. 20
    To change in state or status
  21. 21
    To change in state or status
  22. 22
    To change in state or status
  23. 23
    To change in state or status
  24. 24
    To move through time.
  25. 25
    To move through time.
  26. 26
    To move through time.
  27. 27
    To move through time.
  28. 28
    To move through time.
  29. 29
    To move through time.
  30. 30
    To move through time.
  31. 31
    To be accepted.
  32. 32
    To be accepted.
  33. 33
    To refrain from doing something.
  34. 34
    To refrain from doing something.
  35. 35
    To refrain from doing something.
  36. 36
    To refrain from doing something.
  37. 37
    To refrain from doing something.
  38. 38
    To do or be better.
  39. 39
    To do or be better.
  40. 40
    To take heed, to have an interest, to care.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They passed from room to room.
  2. You will pass a house on your right.

Etymology

From Middle English passen, from Old French passer (“to step, walk, pass”), from Vulgar Latin *passāre (“step, walk, pass”), derived from Latin passus (“a step”), from Proto-Italic *pat-s-tus, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread, stretch out”). Cognate with Old English fæþm (“armful, fathom”). More at fathom. Displaced native Old English genġan.

This word in other languages

pasar(Español)passer(Français)reichen(Deutsch)passar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apss
  • ppass
  • psas

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pass - 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.

apss2ppass1psas2
Edit distance from "pass"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pass"?
"pass" is spelled P-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɑːs/.
What does "pass" mean?
As a verb, "pass" means: To change place.
What words are commonly confused with "pass"?
"pass" is commonly confused with "PS", "pay", "pat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pass" is /pɑːs/. 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 "pass"?
From Middle English passen, from Old French passer (“to step, walk, pass”), from Vulgar Latin *passāre (“step, walk, pass”), derived from Latin passus (“a step”), from Proto-Italic *pat-s-tus, from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread, stretch ... 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 "pass", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mark#949risk#955deep#945ball#961

What to do next

You've looked up "pass". Here's where to go from here.

  • "pass" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "PS". View pair
  • 3 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #952 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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