# prior vs prison

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### prison
*noun · IPA /ˈpɹɪzn̩/ · frequency rank #1,670*
A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or otherwise considered undesirable by the government.

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