Which to use
“provisional” is an adjective and “provisions” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,948
- “provisional” frequency rank
- #5,905
- “provisions” frequency rank
- 17853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | provisional | provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Temporary, but with the intention of eventually becoming permanent or being replaced by a permanent equivalent. | plural of provision |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set provisional and provisions apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: provisional is /pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/ while provisions is /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ənz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
provisional is recorded at frequency rank #11,948, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɹəˈvɪʒənəl/. provisions is at rank #5,905, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ənz/.
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 17853, this pair ranks #448,727 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of provisional vs provisions
Shared letters: inoprsv. Private to "provisional": al. Private to "provisions": -.
"provisional" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCVVCVC · "provisions" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- provisional ← porvisional · pprovisional · proivsional · proviisonal · provisinoal · provisioanl · provisionall · provisionla
- provisions ← porvisions · pprovisions · proivsions · proviisons · provisinos · provisionns · provisionss · provisiosn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "provisional" and "provisions" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "provisional" or "provisions"?
Remembering provisional vs provisions
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “provisional”; for a noun, it's “provisions”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “provisional” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable