presuppose

/ˌpɹiːsəˈpəʊz/

//ˌpɹiːsəˈpəʊz// verb

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

"presuppose" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“presuppose” is uncommon English (frequency #85,664 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,664
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To assume some truth without proof, usually for the purpose of reaching a conclusion based on that truth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-presuppose · presuppose · English

presuppose · rank #85,664 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,664
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pripyat

Nearest frequency peer: Pripyat (+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 “presuppose”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for presuppose
PropertyValue
Headwordpresuppose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌpɹiːsəˈpəʊz/
Letters10
Frequency rank#85,664
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “presuppose” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).presupposefalls 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: “Pripyat” (#85,665), “precancerous” (#85,662), “Promethean” (#85,666). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “presuppose” is #85,664. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

presuppose is uncommon English at frequency #85,664 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌpɹiːsəˈpəʊz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To assume some truth without proof, usually for the purpose of reaching a conclusion based on that truth.".

No misspelling variants are generated for presuppose in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French presupposer, from Latin praesuppōnō. The correct English form is presuppose, spelled P-R-E-S-U-P-P-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To assume some truth without proof, usually for the purpose of reaching a conclusion based on that truth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Nay," replied her companion, "what have I done for you to presuppose such a want of gallantry, as to imagine that I would attempt to guess a lady's secret before she thought proper to communicate it?"
  2. The Working Party's report to the Minister of Transport was published in 1949. It presupposed the demolition of Blackfriars railway bridge on planning grounds, to meet the requirements of the County of London and City of London Plans; [...]. (There were two railway bridges, one was demolished in 1985.)

Etymology

From Middle French presupposer, from Latin praesuppōnō.

This word in other languages

presuponer(Español)présupposer(Français)erfordern(Deutsch)pressupor(Português)

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 "presuppose"?
"presuppose" is spelled P-R-E-S-U-P-P-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɹiːsəˈpəʊz/.
What does "presuppose" mean?
As a verb, "presuppose" means: To assume some truth without proof, usually for the purpose of reaching a conclusion based on that truth.
How do you pronounce "presuppose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "presuppose" is /ˌpɹiːsəˈpəʊz/. 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 "presuppose"?
From Middle French presupposer, from Latin praesuppōnō. 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 "presuppose", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Promethean#85,666picaresque#85,648radicalize#85,682radiometer#85,683

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list