Ensure

How to spell ensure

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ensure

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ensure mean?

1. verbTo make certain that something happens or is the case.

Ensure in a sentence

• Please double-check the figures to ensure the report is accurate.

• The new locks ensure that only staff can enter the building.

Where does ensure come from?

Language of origin: French

Ensure came into English in the late 1300s from Anglo-Norman French enseurer, a form of Old French aseurer meaning 'to make safe' or 'to give a guarantee'. That verb was built from the prefix en-, here carrying the sense 'to cause to be', plus seur meaning 'sure' or 'safe', which traces back to the Latin securus, literally 'free from care' (from se- 'without' and cura 'care'). So at root, to ensure something was to put it beyond worry by making it certain. The same Latin securus also gave English 'secure' and, by a separate route, 'sure' itself, which is why all these words share that core idea of safety and certainty. The spelling trap is the opening 'en-', because the closely related financial verb 'insure' (to arrange compensation against loss) begins with 'in-', and American usage further blurs the two; keeping 'ensure' for plain certainty and 'insure' for policies is the reliable rule.

How the word is built

• en- (to make, cause to be)
• sure (certain, secure)