presume

/pɹɪˈzjuːm/

//pɹɪˈzjuːm// verb

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

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

The verdict

“presume” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,660. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,660
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission [with to (+ infinitive)].

Corpus desk

Index EN-presume · presume · English

presume · rank #12,660 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,660
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH predicting

Nearest frequency peer: predicting (-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 “presume”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “presume” 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).

presume vs prelude
71% similar
presume vs preside
71% similar
presume vs pregame
71% similar

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

Key facts for presume
PropertyValue
Headwordpresume
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹɪˈzjuːm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,660
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “presume”

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).presumelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “predicting” (#12,659), “policing” (#12,658), “pointer” (#12,657). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “presume” is #12,660. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around presume (IPA /pɹɪˈzjuːm/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,660 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for presume, with forms such as "persume", "ppresume", and "presmue". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "prelude", "preside", "pregame", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English presumen, from Anglo-Norman presumer and its source, Latin praesūmere (“to take beforehand, anticipate”), from prae- + sūmere (“to take”). The correct English form is presume, spelled P-R-E-S-U-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission [with to (+ infinitive)].
  2. 2
    To perform, do (something) without authority; to lay claim to without permission.
  3. 3
    To assume or suggest to be true (without proof); to take for granted, to suppose.
  4. 4
    To take as a premise; to assume for the sake of argument.
  5. 5
    To impose (on) for one's advantage; to be presumptuous; to take advantage (of); to take liberties (with) [with on or upon].

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I don't want to pretend to be an authority on this line of business, so I would never presume to tell you how to run your own company.
  2. There were no women at the birth of the International Gay Association in Coventry, England in 1978. The men there decided they would like lesbians to join; they would not presume to formulate aims for them but would adjust the organization if and when women joined it.

Etymology

From Middle English presumen, from Anglo-Norman presumer and its source, Latin praesūmere (“to take beforehand, anticipate”), from prae- + sūmere (“to take”).

Synonyms

suppose

This word in other languages

présumer(Français)annehmen(Deutsch)presumir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • persume
  • ppresume
  • presmue
  • pressume
  • presuem
  • presumme
  • preusme
  • prresume
  • prseume
  • rpesume

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

persume2ppresume1presmue2pressume1presuem2presumme1preusme2prresume1
Edit distance from "presume"

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 "presume"?
"presume" is spelled P-R-E-S-U-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹɪˈzjuːm/.
What does "presume" mean?
As a verb, "presume" means: To be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission [with to (+ infinitive)].
What words are commonly confused with "presume"?
"presume" is commonly confused with "prelude", "preside", "pregame". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "presume"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "presume" is /pɹɪˈzjuːm/. 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 "presume"?
From Middle English presumen, from Anglo-Norman presumer and its source, Latin praesūmere (“to take beforehand, anticipate”), from prae- + sūmere (“to take”). 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 "presume", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pointer#12,657pillars#12,656rebuilt#12,665peasant#12,653

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Nicolas10 variantsSavannah10 variantsseekers10 variantsloosely10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list