Which to use
“precision” and “provision” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,042
- “precision” frequency rank
- #5,727
- “provision” frequency rank
- 12769
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | precision | provision |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The state of being precise or exact; especially, both exact and accurate. | An item of goods or supplies, especially food, obtained for future use. |
Where the eye mixes precision and provision
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between precision and provision
A purely visual mix-up. precision (/pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/) and provision (/pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12769, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
precision is recorded at frequency rank #7,042, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/. provision is at rank #5,727, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/.
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 12769, this pair ranks #479,677 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of precision vs provision
Shared letters: inoprs. Private to "precision": ce. Private to "provision": v.
"precision" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVVC · "provision" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "precision" and "provision" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "precision" vs "provision" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "precision" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "provision" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #479,677 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "precision" and "provision" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "provision vs proviso". 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 #479,677 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.