presage

/ˈpɹɛsɪdʒ/

//ˈpɹɛsɪdʒ// noun

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

The verdict

“presage” is uncommon English (frequency #76,235 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,235
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A warning of a future event; an omen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-presage · presage · English

presage · rank #76,235 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,235
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Prato

Nearest frequency peer: Prato (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “presage”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “presage” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for presage
PropertyValue
Headwordpresage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɛsɪdʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#76,235
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “presage” in English

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).presagefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Prato” (#76,234), “Prinz” (#76,236), “potentiality” (#76,232). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “presage” is #76,235. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

presage is uncommon English at frequency #76,235 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɹɛsɪdʒ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for presage, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English presage, from Latin praesāgium. The correct English form is presage, spelled P-R-E-S-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A warning of a future event; an omen.
  2. 2
    An intuition of a future event; a presentiment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Speak frankly, Mirzes—nor believe thy words, / Whatever black preſages they contain, / Subjoin'd to all Trophonius hath foretold, / Can change my firm reſolves, or blunt my ſword.
  2. Glad was I when I reached the other bank. / Now for a better country. Vain presage!

Etymology

From Middle English presage, from Latin praesāgium.

This word in other languages

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 "presage"?
"presage" is spelled P-R-E-S-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛsɪdʒ/.
What does "presage" mean?
As a noun, "presage" means: A warning of a future event; an omen.
How do you pronounce "presage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "presage" is /ˈpɹɛsɪdʒ/. 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 "presage"?
From Middle English presage, from Latin praesāgium. 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 "presage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list