passage

/ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“passage” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,547. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,547
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-passage · passage · English

passage · rank #4,547 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,547
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH parallel

Nearest frequency peer: parallel (-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 “passage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “passage” 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).

passage vs passive
71% similar
passage vs postage
71% similar
passage vs Passaic
57% similar

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

Key facts for passage
PropertyValue
Headwordpassage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,547
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “passage”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).passagelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “parallel” (#4,546), “pit” (#4,548), “overcome” (#4,545). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “passage” is #4,547. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around passage (IPA /ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,547 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for passage, with forms such as "apssage", "pasage", and "pasasge". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "passive", "postage", "Passaic", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed into Middle English from Old French passage, from passer (“to pass”). The correct English form is passage, spelled P-A-S-S-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning.
  2. 2
    Part of a path or journey.
  3. 3
    An incident or episode.
  4. 4
    The official approval of a bill or act by a parliament.
  5. 5
    The advance of time.
  6. 6
    The use of tight brushwork to link objects in separate spatial plains. Commonly seen in Cubist works.
  7. 7
    A passageway or corridor.
  8. 8
    A strait or other narrow waterway.
  9. 9
    An underground cavity, formed by water or falling rocks, which is much longer than it is wide.
  10. 10
    The vagina.
  11. 11
    The act of passing; movement across or through.
  12. 12
    The right to pass from one place to another.
  13. 13
    A fee paid for passing or for being conveyed between places.
  14. 14
    Serial passage.
  15. 15
    A gambling game for two players using three dice, in which the object is to throw a double over ten.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. passage of scripture
  2. She struggled to play the difficult passages.

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French passage, from passer (“to pass”).

This word in other languages

pasaje(Español)passage(Français)Passus(Deutsch)passagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apssage
  • pasage
  • pasasge
  • passaeg
  • passagge
  • passgae
  • ppassage
  • psasage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apssage2pasage1pasasge2passaeg2passagge1passgae2ppassage1psasage2
Edit distance from "passage"

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 "passage"?
"passage" is spelled P-A-S-S-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "passage" mean?
As a noun, "passage" means: A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning.
What words are commonly confused with "passage"?
"passage" is commonly confused with "passive", "postage", "Passaic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "passage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "passage" is /ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "passage"?
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French passage, from passer (“to pass”). 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 "passage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shocked#4,553ignored#4,533utility#4,564gardens#4,529

Similar misspelling depth

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

tanks8 variantsautumn8 variantsbonds8 variantsmutual8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list