# promise

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɹɒmɪs/ · frequency rank #2,009

## Definitions
1. An oath or affirmation; a vow.
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. Reason to expect improvement or success; potential.
4. A placeholder object representing the eventual result of an asynchronous operation.
5. Bestowal or fulfillment of what is promised.

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **prose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-prose)
- **provide** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-provide)
- **promote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-promote)
- **propose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-propose)
- **proviso** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-proviso)
- **promised** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-promised)
- **promises** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/promise-vs-promises)
- **poise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poise-vs-promise)
- **praise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/praise-vs-promise)
- **profile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/profile-vs-promise)
- **precise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/precise-vs-promise)
- **premise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/premise-vs-promise)
- **premises** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/premises-vs-promise)

## Common misspellings (10)
`pormise`, `ppromise`, `prmoise`, `proimse`, `promies`, `promisse`, `prommise`, `promsie`, `prromise`, `rpomise`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/promise