preamble
pre·am·ble/ˈpriˌæmb(ə)l/noun, verb
preamble is spelled P-R-E-A-M-B-L-E, 3 syllables: pre·am·ble. The wrong spelling people search most is preample: about 20 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 196 of all searches for the word. Preamble is a noun meaning “A short preliminary statement or remark, especially an explanatory introduction to a formal document or…”. The plural of preamble is preambles.
How many letters and syllables are in preamble?
| Letters | 8: P-R-E-A-M-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pre·am·ble |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, preample, about 20 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell preamble?
Preamble is spelled P-R-E-A-M-B-L-E. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 195 of the searches for preamble in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is preamble?
Preamble appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd 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 preamble?
- UK /ˈpɹiːˌambəl/
- US /ˈpriˌæmb(ə)l/
Preamble has 3 syllables, split pre·am·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-preamble.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of preamble
- preambles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- præamble
- preambling participle, present
- preambled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does preamble mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A short preliminary statement or remark, especially an explanatory introduction to a formal document or statute.
- 2
A syncword.
- 3
A precursor.
High winds are often a preamble to a winter storm.
verb
- 1
To speak or write a preamble; to provide a preliminary statement or set of remarks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate preamble?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of preamble: pmbl..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Preamble in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense short statement or remark, especially an explanatory introduction to a formal do:
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 preamble come from?
From Middle English preamble, from Old French preambule (French préambule), from Medieval Latin praeambulum, from praeambulō (“to walk before”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).