Contract law what is a promise

There is no reciprocal promise, but there is also no contract.
I can think of no circumstance where a contingent contract does not involve a reciprocal promise, but the world is a very big place, and the Law is designed to stretch to fit around it all; lawyers don’t talk in absolutes.

Verbal promises can be legally binding if they meet these standards… so be warned! In some circumstances you might be bound by what you say.
I once heard an employer tell an employee she didn’t have to fulfill a promise because it was “only a verbal contract”.

As nouns the difference between promise and contract is that promise is an oath or affirmation; a vow while contract is an agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.