resign

/ɹɪˈzaɪn/

//ɹɪˈzaɪn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“resign” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,490 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#7,490
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give up; to relinquish ownership of.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

resign vs resin
83% similar
resign vs resist
67% similar
resign vs Reston
50% similar

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

Key facts for resign
PropertyValue
Headwordresign
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈzaɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,490
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “resign” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). resign lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for resign is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈzaɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,490 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for resign, with forms such as "ersign", "reisgn", and "resgin". 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. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "resin", "resist", "Reston", 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 Anglo-Norman resigner, Middle French resigner, and its source, Latin resignāre (“to unseal, annul, assign, resign”), from re- + signāre (“to seal, stamp”). Piecewise doublet of re-sign. The correct English form is resign, spelled R-E-S-I-G-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give up; to relinquish ownership of.
  2. 2
    To hand over (something to someone), place into the care or control of another.
  3. 3
    To voluntarily leave (a job or position), in particular a hard-fought position of high status.
  4. 4
    To submit passively; to give up as hopeless or inevitable.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman resigner, Middle French resigner, and its source, Latin resignāre (“to unseal, annul, assign, resign”), from re- + signāre (“to seal, stamp”). Piecewise doublet of re-sign.

Synonyms

quit

This word in other languages

renunciar(Español)abandonner(Français)zurücktreten(Deutsch)resignar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ersign,reisgn,resgin,resiggn,resignn,resing,ressign,rresign,rseign

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ersign2reisgn2resgin2resiggn1resignn1resing2ressign1rresign1
Edit distance from "resign"

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 "resign"?
"resign" is spelled R-E-S-I-G-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈzaɪn/.
What does "resign" mean?
As a verb, "resign" means: To give up; to relinquish ownership of.
What words are commonly confused with "resign"?
"resign" is commonly confused with "resin", "resist", "Reston". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "resign"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "resign" is /ɹɪˈzaɪn/. 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 "resign"?
From Anglo-Norman resigner, Middle French resigner, and its source, Latin resignāre (“to unseal, annul, assign, resign”), from re- + signāre (“to seal, stamp”). Piecewise doublet of re-sign. 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.

Using “resign”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-I-G-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈzaɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “resin” - see the side-by-side comparison. resign vs resin
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list