precise vs premise, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“precise” is an adjective and “premise” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,825
“precise” frequency rank: #9,384
“premise” frequency rank: 15209
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	precise	premise
Definition	Both exact and accurate.	A proposition antecedently supposed or proved; something previously stated or assumed as the basis of further argument; a condition; a supposition.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set precise and premise apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

precise

7 ch

premise

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

precise and premise form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - c in “precise” becomes m in “premise” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15209, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

precise is recorded at frequency rank #5,825, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɹɪˈsaɪs/. premise is at rank #9,384, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹɛm.ɪs/.

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 15209, this pair ranks #465,393 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

precise#5,825

premise#9,384

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "precise" and "premise" be used interchangeably?

No, "precise" and "premise" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering precise vs premise

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “precise”; for a noun, it's “premise”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “precise” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable