promise

/ˈpɹɒmɪs/

//ˈpɹɒmɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“promise” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,009. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,009
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An oath or affirmation; a vow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-promise · promise · English

promise · rank #2,009 · 10 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,009
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH policies

Nearest frequency peer: policies (-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 “promise”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “promise” 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).

promise vs prose
71% similar
promise vs provide
71% similar
promise vs promote
71% similar

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

Key facts for promise
PropertyValue
Headwordpromise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɒmɪs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,009
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “promise”

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).promiselands 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 “policies” (#2,008), “proposed” (#2,010), “plants” (#2,007). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “promise” is #2,009. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around promise (IPA /ˈpɹɒmɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,009 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 promise, with forms such as "pormise", "ppromise", and "prmoise". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "prose", "provide", "promote", 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 promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, Latin prōmissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter past participles of prōmittō (“I send forth, I say beforehand, I promise”), from pro (“forth”) + mitter… The correct English form is promise, spelled P-R-O-M-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An oath or affirmation; a vow.
  2. 2
    A transaction between two persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the second person or devotes something valuable now and here to his use.
  3. 3
    Reason to expect improvement or success; potential.
  4. 4
    A placeholder object representing the eventual result of an asynchronous operation.
  5. 5
    Bestowal or fulfillment of what is promised.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When I make a promise, I always stick to it.
  2. He broke his promise: he said he'd return my jewellery, but never did.

Etymology

From Middle English promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, Latin prōmissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter past participles of prōmittō (“I send forth, I say beforehand, I promise”), from pro (“forth”) + mittere (“to send”); see mission. Compare admit, commit, permit, etc. Displaced native ġehātan (“to promise”) and ġehāt (“a promise”).

This word in other languages

promesa(Español)vœu(Français)Versprechen(Deutsch)promessa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pormise
  • ppromise
  • prmoise
  • proimse
  • promies
  • promisse
  • prommise
  • promsie
  • prromise
  • rpomise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pormise2ppromise1prmoise2proimse2promies2promisse1prommise1promsie2
Edit distance from "promise"

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 "promise"?
"promise" is spelled P-R-O-M-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒmɪs/.
What does "promise" mean?
As a noun, "promise" means: An oath or affirmation; a vow.
What words are commonly confused with "promise"?
"promise" is commonly confused with "prose", "provide", "promote". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "promise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "promise" is /ˈpɹɒmɪs/. 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 "promise"?
From Middle English promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, Latin prōmissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter past participles of prōmittō (“I send forth, I say beforehand, I promise”), from pro (“forth”... 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 "promise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hundred#2,000they'll#2,020treated#2,022turning#2,023

Similar misspelling depth

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

plants10 variantsflying10 variantsclimate10 variantsaccident10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list