How to spell mortgage

Mortgage is spelled M-O-R-T-G-A-G-E. From old French mort gage, dead pledge: MORT, as in mortal, then GAGE.

hear itmort·gage/'mɔrgədʒ/nounSilent and tricky

What it means: A loan secured by property.

In a sentence: The family paid their mortgage each month for their house.

Same family: mortgages, mortgaged, mortgaging, mortgagee, mortgagor. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Mortgage comes from Old French words meaning 'dead pledge'—the idea was that the pledge (the claim on the property) would die when the loan was fully repaid. Over time, the word came to refer specifically to the legal agreement used to secure a loan for property.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

report · doorknob · swore · unicorn · property · portion · support · sovereign

Everyone has words they always get wrong. Spelling.School finds yours, shows you exactly why you miss them, and uses spaced repetition until you spell them right every time. Five minutes a day. Try five words without signing up.