# prime vs prior

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### prime
*adjective · IPA /pɹaɪ̯m/ · frequency rank #1,642*
First in importance, degree, or rank.

### 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/prime-vs-prior