reimburse

/ˌɹiːɪmˈbɜː(ɹ)s/

//ˌɹiːɪmˈbɜː(ɹ)s// verb

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

"reimburse" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reimburse” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,936. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,936
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To compensate with payment; especially, to repay money spent on one's behalf.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reimburse · reimburse · English

reimburse · rank #26,936 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,936
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rehearsed

Nearest frequency peer: rehearsed (-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 “reimburse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reimburse” 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
Key facts for reimburse
PropertyValue
Headwordreimburse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌɹiːɪmˈbɜː(ɹ)s/
Letters9
Frequency rank#26,936
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reimburse”

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).reimburselands 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 “rehearsed” (#26,935), “reinvent” (#26,937), “regroup” (#26,934). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reimburse” is #26,936. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around reimburse (IPA /ˌɹiːɪmˈbɜː(ɹ)s/), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,936 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To compensate with payment; especially, to repay money spent on one's behalf.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for reimburse, with forms such as "erimburse", "reibmurse", and "reimbburse". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1591, re- (“back”) + imburse (“pay”, literally “put in a purse”) (perhaps after Middle French rembourser or Italian rimborsàre), from Middle French embourser, from Old French en- (“in”) + borser (“to get money”), from borse (“purse”), from Medieval Latin bu… The correct English form is reimburse, spelled R-E-I-M-B-U-R-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To compensate with payment; especially, to repay money spent on one's behalf.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The company will reimburse you for your expenses for the business trip.
  2. You can tell this funny monkey story, but please keep and mind and tell people that the man who lost all his fruit to the monkeys was entirely reimbursed.

Etymology

1591, re- (“back”) + imburse (“pay”, literally “put in a purse”) (perhaps after Middle French rembourser or Italian rimborsàre), from Middle French embourser, from Old French en- (“in”) + borser (“to get money”), from borse (“purse”), from Medieval Latin bursa (English purse).

Synonyms

compensateguerdonimburserecompensereimbursereprise

Antonyms

default

This word in other languages

pagar(Español)rembourser(Français)erstatten(Deutsch)reembolsar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erimburse
  • reibmurse
  • reimbburse
  • reimbruse
  • reimbures
  • reimburrse
  • reimbursse
  • reimbusre
  • reimmburse
  • reimubrse
  • remiburse
  • riemburse
  • rreimburse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reimburse - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

erimburse2reibmurse2reimbburse1reimbruse2reimbures2reimburrse1reimbursse1reimbusre2
Edit distance from "reimburse"

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 "reimburse"?
"reimburse" is spelled R-E-I-M-B-U-R-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹiːɪmˈbɜː(ɹ)s/.
What does "reimburse" mean?
As a verb, "reimburse" means: To compensate with payment; especially, to repay money spent on one's behalf.
What are common misspellings of "reimburse"?
Common misspellings include "erimburse", "reibmurse", "reimbburse", "reimbruse", "reimbures". The correct spelling is "reimburse".
How do you pronounce "reimburse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reimburse" is /ˌɹiːɪmˈbɜː(ɹ)s/. 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 "reimburse"?
1591, re- (“back”) + imburse (“pay”, literally “put in a purse”) (perhaps after Middle French rembourser or Italian rimborsàre), from Middle French embourser, from Old French en- (“in”) + borser (“to get money”), from borse (“purse”), from Medieva... 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 "reimburse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rehearsed#26,935regaining#26,932resurrect#26,941Rockville#26,943

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

plunging13 variantsPensacola13 variantsshuffling13 variantsparkland13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list