pre
/ˈpɹi/preposition, noun, verb
pre is spelled P-R-E: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 89 times per million words in written English, the 1,191st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a preposition, pre means “Before (something significant)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pre?
| Letters | 3: P-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 89 times per million words; the 1,191st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pre?
Pre appears 89 times per million words in written English, the 1,191st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pre?
- /ˈpɹi/
Pre has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pre-.ogg, En-au-pre.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pre
Also written: prefect.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with pre?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pre from its last stressed vowel (/ɛ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: per, rep.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pre
- p͛-
- pres plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- preing participle, present
- pred participle, past
- preed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pre mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
preposition
- 1
Before (something significant).
noun
- 1
slangClipping of predrinks.
- 2
slangClipping of precum.
- 3
slangClipping of preparty.
- 4
UKdatedslangClipping of prefect.
verb
- 1
slangClipping of pre-drink.
- 2
slangClipping of precum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pre in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense before:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pre come from?
From Latin prae (“in front of”); see pre-.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).