pledge

/plɛd͡ʒ/

//plɛd͡ʒ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“pledge” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,167 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#7,167
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make a solemn promise (to do something).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pledge vs plunge
67% similar
pledge vs pledged
86% similar
pledge vs pled
67% similar

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

Key facts for pledge
PropertyValue
Headwordpledge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/plɛd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,167
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pledge” 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). pledge lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pledge is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /plɛd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,167 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pledge, with forms such as "lpedge", "peldge", and "pldege". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "plunge", "pledged", "pled", 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 plege, from Anglo-Norman plege, from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) from Medieval Latin plevium, plebium, from plebiō (“to pledge”), from Frankish *plehan (“to pledge; to support; to guarantee”). Akin to Old High German pflegan … The correct English form is pledge, spelled P-L-E-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make a solemn promise (to do something).
  2. 2
    To deposit something as a security; to pawn.
  3. 3
    To give assurance of friendship by the act of drinking; to drink to one's health.

Etymology

From Middle English plege, from Anglo-Norman plege, from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) from Medieval Latin plevium, plebium, from plebiō (“to pledge”), from Frankish *plehan (“to pledge; to support; to guarantee”). Akin to Old High German pflegan (“to take care of, be accustomed to”), Old Saxon plegan (“to vouch for”), Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight.

This word in other languages

prometer(Español)promettre(Français)geloben(Deutsch)prometer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpedge,peldge,pldege,pleddge,pledeg,pledgge,plegde,plledge,ppledge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpedge2peldge2pldege2pleddge1pledeg2pledgge1plegde2plledge1
Edit distance from "pledge"

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 "pledge"?
"pledge" is spelled P-L-E-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /plɛd͡ʒ/.
What does "pledge" mean?
As a verb, "pledge" means: To make a solemn promise (to do something).
What words are commonly confused with "pledge"?
"pledge" is commonly confused with "plunge", "pledged", "pled". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pledge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pledge" is /plɛd͡ʒ/. 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 "pledge"?
From Middle English plege, from Anglo-Norman plege, from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) from Medieval Latin plevium, plebium, from plebiō (“to pledge”), from Frankish *plehan (“to pledge; to support; to guarantee”). Akin to Old High Germa... 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.

Using “pledge”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-L-E-D-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /plɛd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “plunge” - see the side-by-side comparison. pledge vs plunge
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list