renege

/ɹɪˈnɛɡ/

//ɹɪˈnɛɡ// verb

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

"renege" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“renege” is uncommon English (frequency #70,205 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,205
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To break a promise or commitment; to go back on one's word.

Corpus desk

Index EN-renege · renege · English

renege · rank #70,205 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,205
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH repairable

Nearest frequency peer: repairable (+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 “renege”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for renege
PropertyValue
Headwordrenege
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈnɛɡ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#70,205
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “renege” 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).renegefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “repairable” (#70,206), “relaxant” (#70,203), “reinterpret” (#70,202). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “renege” is #70,205. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

renege is uncommon English at frequency #70,205 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɪˈnɛɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for renege in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin renegō, from negō (“I deny”). Possibly influenced by renegotiate. Doublet of renay. See also renegade. The correct English form is renege, spelled R-E-N-E-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To break a promise or commitment; to go back on one's word.
  2. 2
    To break one's commitment to follow suit when capable.
  3. 3
    To deny; to renounce

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Previously I promised not to proselytize miserism, but now I want to renege a little on that promise. If your family income is anywhere near average, you can scrimp and save and cut back for maybe two to four years […]
  2. Clattenburg awarded Spurs a penalty for the third time after a handball in the area but he reneged after realising that the linesman had flagged Crouch offside in the build-up.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin renegō, from negō (“I deny”). Possibly influenced by renegotiate. Doublet of renay. See also renegade.

This word in other languages

verleugnen(Deutsch)renegar(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 "renege"?
"renege" is spelled R-E-N-E-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈnɛɡ/.
What does "renege" mean?
As a verb, "renege" means: To break a promise or commitment; to go back on one's word.
How do you pronounce "renege"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "renege" is /ɹɪˈnɛɡ/. 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 "renege"?
Borrowed from Latin renegō, from negō (“I deny”). Possibly influenced by renegotiate. Doublet of renay. See also renegade. 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 "renege", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

refurb#70,200Redcar#70,198Roemer#70,216purred#70,182

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list