summarise

verb

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

The verdict

“summarise” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,359. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,359
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative form of summarize.

Corpus desk

Index EN-summarise · summarise · English

summarise · rank #47,359 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,359
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH subordination

Nearest frequency peer: subordination (-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 “summarise”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “summarise” 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).

summarise vs summarize
89% similar
summarise vs submarine
78% similar
summarise vs summarily
78% similar

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

Key facts for summarise
PropertyValue
Headwordsummarise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters9
Frequency rank#47,359
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “summarise”

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).summariselands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “subordination” (#47,358), “sunnah” (#47,360), “submerge” (#47,357). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “summarise” is #47,359. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around summarise, averb. Corpus frequency is #47,359 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Alternative form of summarize.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for summarise, with forms such as "smumarise", "ssummarise", and "sumamrise". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "summarize", "submarine", "summarily", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From summ(ary) + -arise. The correct English form is summarise, spelled S-U-M-M-A-R-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of summarize.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These tasks may be summarised as comprising the maintenance and improvement of railway services and facilities during a transitional period; the reorganising of systems of management and technical practices, so as to secure maximum efficiency and economy from the fusion of four major railway systems (using for these purposes all the resources and traditio…
  2. Before summarising his report, Beeching looks at other factors "influencing the future role of the railways".

Etymology

From summ(ary) + -arise.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smumarise
  • ssummarise
  • sumamrise
  • sumarise
  • summairse
  • summaries
  • summarisse
  • summarrise
  • summarsie
  • summraise
  • usmmarise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

smumarise2ssummarise1sumamrise2sumarise1summairse2summaries2summarisse1summarrise1
Edit distance from "summarise"

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 "summarise"?
"summarise" is spelled S-U-M-M-A-R-I-S-E.
What does "summarise" mean?
As a verb, "summarise" means: Alternative form of summarize.
What words are commonly confused with "summarise"?
"summarise" is commonly confused with "summarize", "submarine", "summarily". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "summarise"?
From summ(ary) + -arise. 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 "summarise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list