# period vs prior

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### period
*noun · IPA /ˈpɪə.ɹi.əd/ · frequency rank #623*
A length of time.

### prior
*adjective · IPA /ˈpɹaɪ.ə/ · frequency rank #1,493*
Coming before in order or time; earlier, former, previous.

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