in the first place
/ɪn ðə ˈfɜːst pleɪs/
"in-the-first-place" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“in the first place” 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
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To begin with; earlier; firstly; originally; at the start.
Corpus desk
Index EN-in-the-first-place · in the first place · English
in the first place · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 18 letters
- VOW-5 5 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 the first place |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| IPA | /ɪn ðə ˈfɜːst pleɪs/ |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “in the first place” in English
Rare enough to double-check
in the first place is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase, transcribed /ɪn ðə ˈfɜːst pleɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for in the first place in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is in the first place, spelled I-N- -T-H-E- -F-I-R-S-T- -P-L-A-C-E.
Definition
- 1To begin with; earlier; firstly; originally; at the start.
- 2At all, even (typically in non-negated statements).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how in the first place appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The question is not whether I still enjoy the job, when I never enjoyed it in the first place.
Why does this exist in the first place?
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.