Which to use
“prima” and “prime” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,826
- “prima” frequency rank
- #8,611
- “prime” frequency rank
- 13437
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prima | prime |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erstklassig | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs prim |
Where the eye mixes prima and prime
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: prima vs prime
A purely visual mix-up. prima ([ˈpʁiːma]) and prime ([ˈpʁiːmə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “prima” becomes e in “prime”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13437, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prima is recorded at frequency rank #4,826, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈpʁiːma]. prime is at rank #8,611, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpʁiːmə].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 13437, this pair ranks #1,958,012 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of prima vs prime
Shared letters: impr. Private to "prima": a. Private to "prime": e.
"prima" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "prime" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "prima" and "prime" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "prima" or "prime"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "prima" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prime" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,958,012 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prima" and "prime" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Primat vs prime". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,958,012 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.