Which to use
“pricey” is an adjective and “priory” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,660
- “pricey” frequency rank
- #27,976
- “priory” frequency rank
- 46636
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pricey | priory |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Expensive, dear. | A monastery or convent governed by a prior or prioress. |
Where the eye mixes pricey and priory
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pricey (CCVCVV) and priory (CCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses pricey with priory
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pricey is /ˈpɹaɪsi/ while priory is /ˈpɹaɪəɹ.i/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pricey is recorded at frequency rank #18,660, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈpɹaɪsi/. priory is at rank #27,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹaɪəɹ.i/.
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 46636, this pair ranks #209,878 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pricey vs priory
Shared letters: ipry. Private to "pricey": ce. Private to "priory": o.
"pricey" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVV · "priory" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pricey" and "priory" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "pricey" or "priory"?
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 "pricey" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "priory" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #209,878 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pricey" and "priory" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pricey vs prides". 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 #209,878 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.