pass on

verb

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

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-pass-on · pass on · English

pass on · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 pass on
PropertyValue
Headwordpass on
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pass on” in English

pass onsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

pass on is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pass on, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is pass on, spelled P-A-S-S- -O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To go forward.
  2. 2
    To convey or communicate.
  3. 3
    To transfer (something) to someone, especially by handing or bequeathing it to the next person in a series.
  4. 4
    To skip or decline.
  5. 5
    To die.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Can you pass on the information next time you see him?
  2. Does he know what I do? / And you'll pass this on, won't you? / And if I ask him once what would he say? / Is he willing? / Can he play?

This word in other languages

pasar(Español)transmettre(Français)weitergeben(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 "pass on"?
"pass on" is spelled P-A-S-S- -O-N.
What does "pass on" mean?
As a verb, "pass on" means: To go forward.
What language does "pass on" come from?
"pass on" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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