in principle
"in-principle" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“in principle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With regard to the fundamentals, but not to the particulars.
Corpus desk
Index EN-in-principle · in principle · English
in principle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" 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 | in principle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “in principle” in English
Rare enough to double-check
in principle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for in principle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From in + principle (the noun ultimately from Latin principium). Compare French en principe, German im Prinzip, Dutch in principe, Swedish i princip, Danish i princippet. The correct English form is in principle, spelled I-N- -P-R-I-N-C-I-P-L-E.
Definition
- 1With regard to the fundamentals, but not to the particulars.
- 2According to theory.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how in principle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
agree in principle
approve in principle
Etymology
From in + principle (the noun ultimately from Latin principium). Compare French en principe, German im Prinzip, Dutch in principe, Swedish i princip, Danish i princippet.
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.