a priori
/ˌɑː pɹiˈɔːɹi/
"a-priori" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“a priori” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Self-evident, intuitively obvious.
Corpus desk
Index EN-a-priori · a priori · English
a priori · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | a priori |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌɑː pɹiˈɔːɹi/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “a priori” in English
Rare enough to double-check
a priori is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌɑː pɹiˈɔːɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for a priori in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1610. Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”). The correct English form is a priori, spelled A- -P-R-I-O-R-I.
Definition
- 1Self-evident, intuitively obvious.
- 2Presumed without analysis.
- 3Based on hypothesis and theory rather than experiment or empirical evidence.
- 4Developed entirely from scratch, without deriving it from existing languages.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how a priori appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
In his opening argument, the student mentioned nothing beyond his a priori knowledge.
While the great critics drew their authority from the breadth of their reading, New Criterion critics often base their authority on an a priori rejection of the contemporary.
Etymology
First attested in 1610. Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ā priōrī (“involving reasoning from cause to effect; from first principles”, literally “from the former”).
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.