# surprise

> English word · Noun · IPA /səˈpɹaɪz/ · frequency rank #1,841

## Definitions
1. Something unexpected.
2. Something unexpected.
3. The feeling that something unexpected has happened.

## Etymology
From Middle English surprise, borrowed from Middle French surprise (“an overtake”), nominal use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre (“to overtake”), from sor- (“over”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin super- + Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”). Doublet of suppli.

## Easily confused with
- **surprised** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/surprise-vs-surprised)
- **sunrise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sunrise-vs-surprise)
- **surmise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/surmise-vs-surprise)
- **subprime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/subprime-vs-surprise)

## Common misspellings (12)
`sruprise`, `ssurprise`, `suprrise`, `surpirse`, `surpprise`, `surpries`, `surprisse`, `surprrise`, `surprsie`, `surrpise`, `surrprise`, `usrprise`

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