pledge
/plɛd͡ʒ/verb, noun
pledge is spelled P-L-E-D-G-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, pledge means “To make a solemn promise (to do something)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pledge?
| Letters | 6: P-L-E-D-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 7,121st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pledge?
Pledge appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,121st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pledge?
- /plɛd͡ʒ/
Pledge has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pledge.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pledge
- pledges present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- pledging participle, present
- pledged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pledge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make a solemn promise (to do something).
pledge allegiance to the flag
- 2
To deposit something as a security; to pawn.
- 3
To give assurance of friendship by the act of drinking; to drink to one's health.
noun
- 1
A solemn promise to do something.
- 2
A promise to abstain from drinking alcohol.
- 3
An asset or person temporarily handed over to guarantee the fulfilment of something promised, under threat of permanent loss of the thing handed over; surety, security, hostage.
- 4
A bailment of personal property to secure payment of a debt without transfer of title.
- 5
The personal property so pledged, to be kept until the debt is paid.
- 6
A person who has taken a pledge of allegiance to a college fraternity, but is not yet formally approved.
- 7
A drinking toast.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pledge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | promettre , mettre en gage , serment , gage |
| German | geloben, feierlich versprechen , verpfänden, als Sicherheit hinterlegen , Brüderschaft trinken, auf die Gesundheit anstoßen |
| Portuguese | prometer , caucionar , promessa , penhor |
| Spanish | comprometerse , promesa solemne, juramento , prenda , manda |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pledge come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).